Comments on: 5 Simple Storytelling Techiques

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:51:59 +0000

Rick, Jerry Seinfeld did pretty well turning nothing into a 30 minute sitcom. Maybe your daughter has a bright storytelling future!

By: Rick Hamrick

Rick Hamrick — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:31:28 +0000

Brad, my eldest daughter is renowned for her ability to take an hour to tell the tale of a five-minute event in her life. My wife, who is the stepmom to my daughters and thus blameless in any discussion of inherited traits, claims to know exactly where my daughter got her talent. It may be unusual, but I have nothing to say on the matter.

Your techniques are solid and easy to use, Brad! Thanks for this.

By: 6 Killer Writing Tips

6 Killer Writing Tips — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:01:58 +0000

[...] to get their message across. If you’re not sure where to begin, check out Brad Shorr’s 5 Simple Storytelling Techniques and create a killer story for your [...]

By: 16th birthday party ideas

16th birthday party ideas — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:45:21 +0000

[...] people would rather hear about your trip to Easter Island than have you refer them to a series of Wihttp://www.wordsellinc.com/blog/copywriting/5-simple-storytelling-techiques/16th birthday party ideas?My daughter is turning 16 in February and I’m looking for some good party [...]

By: Writing Advice From The Blogosphere: Labor Day Blog-Lib | Confident Writing

Writing Advice From The Blogosphere: Labor Day Blog-Lib | Confident Writing — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:21:17 +0000

[...] dropped (that’s wisdom by hindsight for you) and we heard them recounting what happened with 5 storytelling techniques for days [...]

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:13:59 +0000

Robert, Good point – I notice you frequently put hooks in your post in the form of a question. It works!

By: Robert Hruzek

Robert Hruzek — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:10:51 +0000

Great post, Brad. What I like to do is open with a “hook” of some kind: a question that causes a double-take or something similar. That piques interest in the remainder of the post.

By: Jeanne Dininni

Jeanne Dininni — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 22:29:31 +0000

Good points, Brad! I think you’re right!

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:32:27 +0000

Hi Jeanne and Karen, Your discussion about dialog is quite interesting – it shows you just how many factors go into choosing the right words. I agree that if you can find the perfect verb (and “stammered” is it), using it makes the scene more vivid. My only concern is, will too many perfect verbs “upstage” the business and customer being featured? Not an easy question. Considering the context helps, obviously. If I were writing a success story about a couple who met through a dating service, I’d add more flourish. In my post, writing about an air conditioning service, I’d lean to “he said, she said”.

By: Jeanne Dininni

Jeanne Dininni — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:07:22 +0000

Hi, Karen!

I agree that, in press releases and other “newsy” types of writing, along with any business communications that are intended to convey a more official tone, the words you’ve mentioned would be more appropriate. I guess it all boils down to the specific type of business communication being discussed, as you’ve said. It’s also true, though, that one probably wouldn’t be very likely to include anecdotal stories in press releases or more official business communications, whereas such stories would fit quite naturally into management (or other types of business-related) training materials.

Regards,
Jeanne