Storytelling

The new strategic imperative of business

 John H. Oaks
Dai Vernon
S.W. Erdnase
R.J. “Obie” O’Brien
Billy O’Conner
David Devant
P.T. Selbit
Jean Hugard
Odips
Fred Braue
Andrew Oehler
George Oki
J.B. Bobo
 Houdini was a crappy magician…

…but he was GREAT at knowing what people

wanted from him!

“people … are so willing to be amused, so eager to

see something new and out of the ordinary.”
 Your idea is meaningless if you can’t tell its story to others!
How many of these people do you know?
Carl Sagan Cosmos 1980
Stephen Hawking Brief History of Time 1988
Charles Darwin On the Origin of Species 1859
Isaac Newton Principia Mathematica 1687
Galileo Galilei Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems 1632
Martin Luther The Ninety Five Theses 1517
Adolph Hitler Mein Kampf 1925
Albert Einstein The General Theory of Relativity 1916
Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence 1776
Sigmund Freud The Interpretation of Dreams 1899
Abraham Lincoln The Gettysburg Address 1863
Niels Bohr Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge 1958
Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto 1883
Thomas Paine Common Sense 1776
Anne Frank Diary of Anne Frank 1947
Rational engagement is based on the stimulation
of the mind, whereas emotional engagement is
based upon the stimulation of the heart.
People are attracted to stories because we’re
social creatures and we relate to other people.
- Keith Quesenberry, John Hopkins University
 The Hubble Deep Field (HDF) is an image of a
small region in the constellation Ursa Major,
constructed from a series of observations by the
Hubble Space Telescope. The image is important
because it gave scientists the first look at galaxies
when they were young.

It cost ~$6,300,000 to take.

Nick Woodman
Your journey is a “Hero” Story
 Good Stories…

Surprise us
Have compelling characters
Make us think
Make us feel
Make us empathize

What do you want to remember for in six months?

 North Vietnam
1965-1973
A-4 Fighter Pilot

James Stockdale, Captain US Navy

 Never lose faith that, in the end, you will prevail.

but…

Be brutally honest with yourself about the realities of

the conditions you are currently facing.
Definition