Short.
Only take as long to tell the story as you really need. If you are telling a story online, try for 500 words. If you are producing a video, no more than two minutes is ideal.
Straightforward.
Be clear and straightforward. Don’t try to do too much. Avoid going off on tangents, even if they seem interesting, because they will detract from the main reason you are telling the story.
Personal.
Your stories should be specific people, not general stand-ins for a larger population. Make it personal. But limit the number of people in the story, because it's easy to lose track of which details belong to which character.
Authentic.
We connect with stories that ring true. We don’t want to hear stories about perfect people. We hate those people. We want to hear about the people who are like us, human and imperfect, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. We want to hear about real people, even if their names or other identifying characteristics are changed to protect their privacy.
Includes conflict or imperfections.
Conflict and imperfections are what bring stories to life and make us care about how they turn out. That sometimes means providing unflattering details about clients. If you work in social services, your stories will often include drug abuse and criminal activities. But we have to understand the complicated and rough histories in order to see how amazing the transformation of the person in the story truly is.
Ends with a message.
While storytelling is a wonderful tool for nonprofit marketing, it only works with a specific goal in mind. Make sure that the message of your story is clear. You don’t necessarily need to say, "And this story means that . . ." The story itself should make that clear. I should understand what I'm supposed to be feeling and what I'm supposed to do next.
Kivi Leroux Miller
Only take as long to tell the story as you really need. If you are telling a story online, try for 500 words. If you are producing a video, no more than two minutes is ideal.
Straightforward.
Be clear and straightforward. Don’t try to do too much. Avoid going off on tangents, even if they seem interesting, because they will detract from the main reason you are telling the story.
Personal.
Your stories should be specific people, not general stand-ins for a larger population. Make it personal. But limit the number of people in the story, because it's easy to lose track of which details belong to which character.
Authentic.
We connect with stories that ring true. We don’t want to hear stories about perfect people. We hate those people. We want to hear about the people who are like us, human and imperfect, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. We want to hear about real people, even if their names or other identifying characteristics are changed to protect their privacy.
Includes conflict or imperfections.
Conflict and imperfections are what bring stories to life and make us care about how they turn out. That sometimes means providing unflattering details about clients. If you work in social services, your stories will often include drug abuse and criminal activities. But we have to understand the complicated and rough histories in order to see how amazing the transformation of the person in the story truly is.
Ends with a message.
While storytelling is a wonderful tool for nonprofit marketing, it only works with a specific goal in mind. Make sure that the message of your story is clear. You don’t necessarily need to say, "And this story means that . . ." The story itself should make that clear. I should understand what I'm supposed to be feeling and what I'm supposed to do next.
Kivi Leroux Miller
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