This document discusses the use of storytelling as a framework for higher education. It provides examples of how stories can be used to engage audiences and help them connect with an institution. Stories are an effective way to convey values and share knowledge. Elements like characters, conflicts, and resolutions that are part of stories can help users relate to products and services. Framing communications through narratives and user journeys helps audiences see themselves in an organization's work.

1. Georgy Cohen
@radiofreegeorgy
Storytelling as
a Framework
for Higher Ed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandora_6666/4927859168/
Web Marketing

2. Ant and shark 1/3
Credit: @tsand’s daughter /

3. Ant and shark 2/3
Credit: @tsand’s daughter /

4. Ant and shark 3/3
Credit: @tsand’s daughter /

10. “ Web Communications' mission is
to use the Web and emerging
technologies to engage our
audience with the Tufts story
and to enable our partners across
the university to do the same.

11. “ There is no stronger bridge
between you and your audience
than a compelling narrative.

12. What are
stories?

14. http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

16. National Storytelling Network
“ Storytelling is the interactive art
of using words and actions to
reveal the elements and images
of a story while encouraging the
listener’s imagination.
www.storynet.org/resources/whatisstorytelling.html

17. (Some random
site)
“ A story is the graphing of a
character's emotional
experience from the
moment it begins to its
logical conclusion.
http://members.fortunecity.com/nadabs/literature-storystructure.html

18. Ordinary people doing
extraordinary things

19. Daniel Pink,
“A Whole New Mind”
“ [Story] is becoming a
key way for individuals
and entrepreneurs to
distinguish their
goods and services in
a crowded marketplace.

20. Why stories
matter

21. Storytelling was the first
social media platform.

22. Storytelling was the first
social media platform.
OMG!

23.
Srsly??

24. Storytelling is an act of
community, sharing
values and knowledge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonpratt/4807746068/

25. Stories draw strength from
the number of people
who share them.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turneround/5398112759/

26. The parable of Lot’s wife

27. The parable of Lot’s wife
…is also found in Greek, Jewish, Indian, French Canadian,
Lithuanian, Chinese, Eskimo, Polynesian, Hawaiian, South
American and African folklore. Source: Archetypes and motifs in folklore and literature:
a handbook, Jane Garry, Hasan M. El-Shamy

28. http://www.flickr.com/photos/turneround/5398112759/

29. We see
in stories.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turneround/5398112759/

30. We see
ourselves
in stories.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turneround/5398112759/

31. We tend to “storicize” abstract shapes
and seek ourselves in the objects around us.
Credit: Clara Fernández-Vara, Postdoctoral
http://www.flickr.com/photos/turneround/5398112759/ Researcher, Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab

32. Heider, F., Simmel, M. (1944) An experimental study in
apparent behavior. The American Journal of Psychology, 57,
243-259. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTNmLt7QX8E

34. http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693506@N00/149781946/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

35. Lessons of
the Like Log
“ The best stories — the most
inherently share-worthy stories — are
the ones for which it would be almost
weird to email them to someone — or
tweet them to someone, or whatever
— without an introductory “WOW” or
“WHOA” or “WTF.”
http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/03/lessons-of-the-like-log-the-big-story-and-the-nuances-of-shareability/

36. Shareability index
for news releases
“ …Releases with the elements of a
good news story—a little drama, a
person fighting for what is right, a
villain—have scores four to five
times higher than those about the
success of a program, he says.
http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Rehab-Their-Web-Sites/127170/

37. ://www.ishmaelscorner.com/2012/03/27/aligning-business-storytelling-with-what-the-media-values/

38. Photo / Melody Ko, Tufts

39. “ I'm a sophomore at Tufts, and I just read
today's tufts.edu profile on the woman
working with the Massachusetts Gay and
Lesbian Council. I wanted to say how
proud I am to go to a school that would
put an article like that on the main school
site without any fuss. My friend's sister
visited from another university this weekend,
and she mentioned how her school website
featured pictures of cheerleaders at a football
game, while ours had an article about
Ghana, and now gay rights. This is why I'm
so happy to be here. Thank you =)
E-mail from a sophomore, March 31, 2008

40. Dogeared page #1:
Empathy

41. Structure
of a story

42. The structure of a story:

43. The structure of a story:
• Setting

44. The structure of a story:
• Setting
• Characters

45. The structure of a story:
• Setting
• Characters
• Conflict

46. The structure of a story:
• Setting
• Characters
• Conflict
• Resolution

47. Why We Need
Storytellers at the Heart
of Product Development
“ In a world where consumers
are inundated with choices,
products that want to be
noticed and adopted must
be rooted in the why.
http://uxmag.com/strategy/why-we-need-storytellers-at-the-heart-of-product-
development

48. Kim Goodwin, Confab 2011
“Storytelling by Design”
Scenario: “A plausible story
about a persona using the
future product or service in
a specific situation.”
Scenarios have all the key
story elements: Character,
Conflict, Plot, Resolution
http://www.slideshare.net/KimGoodwin/storytelling-by-design-scenarios-talk-
at-confab-2011

49. (Tweet links to http://www.agilemodeling.com/artifacts/userStory.htm)

50. story arc (n.)
“ A story arc is an extended or
continuing storyline in episodic
storytelling media …
The purpose of a story arc is to move
a character or a situation from one
state to another; in other words, to
effect change.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_arc

51. Sounds an awful lot like….
A) Effective content
B) Good UX
C) Clean usability

52. Sounds an awful lot like….
A) Effective content
B) Good UX
C) Clean usability
D) All of the above

53. Sounds an awful lot like….
A) Effective content
B) Good UX * Also called a
holistic approach to
C) Clean usability web development
D) All of the above

54. Dogeared page #2:
Holistic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

55. http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

56. One type of story arc:
The hero’s journey

57. 12 stages of the hero’s journey:
1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal
4. Meeting with the Mentor
5. Crossing the Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to Inmost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with Elixir

59. Ordinary people doing
extraordinary things

60. Students: Faculty:
• Applying to college • Curing diseases
• Learning what they • Teaching tomorrow’s
want to do with life leaders
• Tutoring local kids • Providing context to
• Staging a musical current events
Alumni: Staff:
• Donating to support • Balancing budgets
a new laboratory • Developing programs
• Reconnecting with • Organizing events
old friends • Recruiting students
• Giving students advice

62. “ Is our
product
King Arthur
or Excalibur?
- Ron Ploof
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/
is-your-product-king-arthur-or-excalibur/

63. User 
 Us

64. User  ↖ Unicorns
 Us

66. Frodo: Go back, Sam. I’m going to Mordor alone.
Sam: Of course you are. And I’m coming with you.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

67. http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693506@N00/149781946/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

68. The Shire must
truly be a great
realm, Master
Gamgee, where
gardeners are held
in high honor.
- Captain Faramir,
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693506@N00/149781946/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

69. Storytelling Rules Writing
Better Press Releases
“ Rule 1. Know your audience.
Rule 2. Give your audience what they
need to achieve their goal.
Rule 3. Help your audience tell the
world about your story.
http://blog.prnewswire.com/2011/03/28/storytelling-rules-writing-better-press-releases/

70. Dogeared page #3:
User as Hero
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

71. Stories
and us

72. Erin Kissane, “The
Elements of Content
Strategy”
“ For anyone who
communicates as a
profession, stories are
the ultimate hack.

73. Come on, Tour
Guides, Tell
Me a Story
“ The goal is you want
people to remember
something when they
leave your campus. It’s
gonna be the stories.
Laura Martin, vice president for enrollment and
dean of admission, Agnes Scott College
http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/come-on-tour-guides-tell-me-a-
story/30047

74. Tell Them a Story
“ 1) A prophet was not without
honor, save in his own country,
and in his own house and 2)
parables increased understanding.
…I still have the charts and
graphs, but accompanying
them now are the stories.
http://case.typepad.com/case_social_media/2011/03/tellthemastory.html

75. Many stories have morals.

76. Many stories have morals.
Our stories require purpose.

77. Many stories have morals.
Our stories require purpose.
(Some may call this “strategy.”)

81. Storytelling and
Branding
“ 1. Employees must believe and
‘own’ the story as they will
ultimately be the ones to represent
the company's brand values.
2. Successful advertising delivers
meaningful messages about the
brand, often in sequence, taking
the message’s recipients on a
journey.

82. Storytelling and
Branding
“ 3. There is a constant need to adapt
a story in a fast-paced society
where change is inevitable.
4. A successful brand character can
adopt human qualities that allow it
to engage with an audience on an
emotional level.
http://www.the-storytellers.com/blog/217

83. http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

84. The Art of Immersion
“ If you’re going to tell stories
beyond what you see in the
films, the minute they
contradict each other your
house falls apart. If you kill off a
character and then try to revive
him, it’s going to be bogus.
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/03/star-wars-generation/all/1

86. Dogeared page #4:
Purpose
http://www.flickr.com/photos/functoruser/244207662/lightbox/

87. Why we
matter

88. Ordinary people doing
extraordinary things

89. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/2515800654/

90. • Empathy
• Holistic approach
• User as hero
• Purpose

91. Dr. Seuss, “The Lorax”
“ Unless someone
like you cares a
whole awful lot,
nothing is going to
get better. It's not.
(h/t @epsteada)

92. Ant and shark 3/3
Credit: @tsand’s daughter /

93. J.D. Salinger, “Seymour:
An Introduction”
“ Give me a story that
just makes me
unreasonably vigilant.
Keep me up till five
only because all your
stars are out, and for
no other reason.