The Curious Case Of Story Telling

Being a part of the advertising and marketing fraternity, over the past few years, I have observed the extreme pressure of telling a story. On a lighter note, the only storyteller I recall is my late grandfather who used to endlessly craft engaging stories and those stories occupy a special place in my heart. I recall, how he always had me in his stories and how he made me the hero of his stories. My favourite series was where he made me a police Inspector. And the best part, his daily bedtime stories were impromptu, fresh with a different situation every day like Satyajit Ray movies. 

I am penning some of my thoughts below, not on how to tell a story but to not get stressed about it. Storytelling needs continuous creativity and needs experimentation as well. Specifically, in the business of advertising & marketing, the below points contain my observations and recommendations. 

Identify the narrator  

When actually ‘telling’ a story is not easy and there are some people to whom this comes naturally. It is important to identify that person as not only that person needs to be a good speaker, but one that understands the nuances of voice modulation and the distribution of energy in voice while narrating. 

Translating thoughts into motion  

Have an expert who can translate that story into motion. However, we may narrate something, the listener consumes and visualizes in their own way. Someone who has the technical expertise in motion graphics and who need not necessarily be a good narrator but a good visualiser and translating a story into motion.  

Be a part of the story, be sensitive  

It is crucial to feel the story and in some way, being the story helps in bringing in all the emotions in balance to form a kaleidoscope to elevate the experience of listening or seeing the story. This can only come in when the storyteller is using sensitivity as a strength in emotions. Be it any emotion, stories often speak the depth when cooked on slow heat. Well, this is my observation. 

Awareness 

Clichéd as it may sound, however, it is essential that we keep a track of what is happening globally, also keeping in mind newer formats in digital advertising and how stories are custom-crafted for specific channels. That awareness will only help in staying cognizant of this fast-evolving digital space where there is so much information to consume in so many different places. 

What distinguishes one story from the other? 

Time for an oxymoron. As a question, this is perhaps the most simple and yet the most difficult to answer. Did you observe that after watching a movie, our comment is like ‘the story had potential but the direction was weak?’  

The differentiating factor are 3 fold – one, did it make you think, two, did it strike any chord with your heart, three – how far this will capture in your memory. Hence, even if the creativity of the story and the storyteller may be subjective, it does not take much time to arrive at a decision. A supremely brilliant story will touch your heart and mind at the same time and bring out a certain emotion or a mix of emotions.