The Making of a Strategic Storyteller
First and foremost, I'm a writer. Essays, short stories, television, film and book reviews - you name it, I write it. All that led me to my current job, in which I use every skill I've ever acquired (plus a whole bunch of new ones) and all the obscure trivia that has been accumulating in my brain for 40 years. I describe it as a bit like researching and writing one Masters' thesis after another; each project requires me to become conversant (if not an expert) in the client's field.
This lens is about how I bring my right-brain creative, artistic side and try - some times more successfully than others - to merge it with the needs of clients and what I continue to learn about strategy.
I believe, as Annette Simmons says in The Story Factor, "A story is worth a thousand assurances." As we move into an increasingly crowded marketplace (left-brain words I never, ever thought I'd be writing), it's all about differentiation. Blue oceans. Small is the New Big (yes, I'm drunk on Seth Kool-aid). To my mind - and increasingly, to corporate minds - the only way to truly differentiate yourself or your product is with an authentic story. Who are you? What do you stand for? Who is your market? And what do they want that you have - that nobody else does?
So what's different about me, about this lens? What can it offer you? As far as I can tell, it's the first one dedicated to corporate storytelling, and E+S is the best (and one of, if not the oldest, at 20 years) in a rapidly growing field. If you want to learn a bit about strategic storytelling, what it is and isn't, or what happens when you take artists and teach them marketing strategy (chocolate! peanut butter!), bookmark this page. For "Brand Sarah," I'll have to create a new lens.
About Envisioning + Storytelling
There is no more effective way to create a unified identity than through a well-crafted, well-told, strategic story - one that addresses the past, present and future - the logic and the magic. A strategic story brings everyone together and provides common ground by illustrating, articulating and uncovering the ways companies can move from individual concepts and multiple points of view to the only story that could possibly be told. E+S crafts this story using your ideas and insights, your 'aha' moments and flashes of inspiration. So if you're ready to turn thoughts, dreams and ideas into reality, drop us a line.
Blog vs. Lens
What's the difference?
My blog is focused on topics relevant to all of E+S; it's meant to (as we say) inform, inspire and enlighten. If outside people who are curious about strategic storytelling come across it, all the better. If we get clients from it, even better still.
This lens is where I can explore the more creative stuff, a way to keep my artistic-writer side nourished while my business-writer side makes a living.
I'm more apt to talk about personal things in these little text modules. Things like how my head is better than any meteorologist at predicting changing weather patterns, and whether that relates to being a highly creative person. Or how to keep in mind the Hero's Journey when writing about a business culture. Or where I am with the manuscript I haven't touched since I began this job 19 months ago.
That kind of thing.
Storydriven: The Blog
My work blog, which includes information on storytelling, branding, sustainability, trends, cool ads and lots of other relevant stuff.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byI'm LinkedIn. Are You?
Stories of Strength
Includes my essay "The Bracelet."
Stories of Strength
This book, compiled in the wake of Hurricane Katrina by the members of Absolute Write, contains dozens of stories about strength in all its facets: physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and more.
This has nothing to do with E+S or strategic storytelling, except I figured it was a good strategy to plug it here.
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/01/2009) 
Writing Books
The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 2nd Edition
Takes Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and shows how it applies not only to story structure, but also to the writing process. If you want your stories to resonate with your audience, this is a must-have for your bookshelf.
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting
Now you can get all of McKee's wisdom without suffering through his arrogance in person! Even though this is aimed at screenwriters, writers of all stripes - including business - will benefit from his wisdom.
Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life
Natalie Goldberg is a writing goddess. This and Writing Down the Bones are two Writing 101 books that continue providing inspiration and encouragement through the stumbling blocks of the creative life.
Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You
Bradbury's collection of essays on creativity is often overlooked, but it's a gem.
The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative
There's a difference between "just the facts, ma'am" and weaving those facts into a compelling story. A must-read for nonfiction writers.
Storied Brands that Work: Apple
Apple - Get a Mac - Surgery
curated content from YouTube
Business Books
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant
There is no competition.
Simply Great Reading
(actually, it's the writing that's extraordinary)
These five books are so exquisitely written that I read them over and over and over, both to enjoy them and to inspire me to even better writing.
Mariette in Ecstasy
Never ceases to awe me. (It's about a convent, by the way, not as R-rated as the title and cover suggest)
Annie John: A Novel
The way Kincaid uses language - it's not just that she's a masterful storyteller; her writing is strategic in its structure.
Blu's Hanging
Social politics - and a motherless daughter - in contemporary Hawai'i. The literary equivalent of a Lonely Planet hike through the authentic Hawai'i.
Seasons at Eagle Pond
Read anything you can by the new U.S. Poet Laureate. This is one of his prose books, but it might as well be poetry.
Fierce Attachments: A Memoir
Vivian Gornick, will you be my editor? Despite a strong viewpoint and intense - one might say, oh, fierce - emotions, the story comes across as balanced, not biased.
Cool Sites
- Envisioning + Storytelling
- A strategic storytelling boutique based in British Columbia, with clients worldwide. And my employer.
- Absolute Write
- One of the top writing communities on the Web (more than 10,000 members). And where I won the Absolute Write Idol contest.
- Absolute Write Idol press release
- It wasn't televised, because, well, who wants to watch writers stare at a blank screen? But it was great preparation for the marathon writing I do at E+S.
- New York Times
- Essential reading.
- Holland Barrs Planning Group
- The top sustainability consultancy in Canada (and quite possibly North America).
- Enlightened Brand
- You want to learn about storied brands? You want to talk to Pam van Orden.
- Seth's Blog
- You're on Squidoo. You have to ask?
- MediaBistro
- If you're a freelancer, you can't afford not to make this part of your daily reading.
- Malcolm Gladwell's blog
- Chewy and nutritious food for thought from the New Yorker writer and author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
- Boing Boing
- The site for all things pop culture.
- Common Errors in English
- A fantastic resource for those times you can't remember whether to use "comprise" or "compose."
Quotes about Story and Storytelling
Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.-Robert McAfee Brown, American theologian
Storytellers, by the very act of telling, communicate a radical learning that changes lives and the world: telling stories is a universally accessible means through which people make meaning.-Chris Cavanaugh
Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.-Ben Okri, Nigerian author
Strategic storytelling enables change by providing direct access to the living part of the organization. Stories inhabit the head space of the individuals who make up your organization and affect how your corporate culture and its values evolve.-Susan Luke, corporate mythologist
The universe is made up of stories, not of atoms.-Muriel Rukeyser
A story is worth a thousand assurances.-Annette Simmons, The Story Factor
Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.-Robert McKee
Storytelling captures an aspect of childhood experience when being told a story was a common ritual. It's a warm place for most of us and in some ways represents our first experience in really listening.-Paul Lansky, American composer
New Guestbook
-
Reply
- LuckoftheIrish LuckoftheIrish Nov 13, 2009 @ 9:53 am
- Neat stuff. I came here from a lens on Whole New Mind, which I checked out because of my interest in storytelling. I'll def visit your blog when I get the time!
-
Reply
- Ms_Appleseed Ms_Appleseed Apr 2, 2008 @ 4:38 pm
- Thanks for sharing this information. I love storytelling and storytellers. We found it useful in marketing small towns--we just didn't know what we were doing!
-
Reply
- The Story Lady The Story Lady Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:51 pm
- This is really excellent. It is great finding you, Sarah. I'm Ronda, and I wrote The Kama Sutra of Storytelling: Positioning, Power and Profit (ebook right now). Great to meet someone else who's teaching people the power of storytelling.
I haven't made a lens yet because this is new to me and I wanted to "snoop around" some lenses first to get ideas. I like what you're doing and I gave you a Stumble.
Ronda Del Boccio, The Story Lady of Storyation.com
-
Reply
- EelKat EelKat Apr 19, 2007 @ 5:48 am
- I've got a group here on Squidoo for lenses like this one. I'd love for you to add this lens to my group. Here is the address:
http://www.squidoo.com/groups/writerslittlehelper
-
Reply
- luckycharms luckycharms Apr 8, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
- Welcome to the article writing and resource group! You definitely have a lens about a unique topic here! Keep up the good work!
by Sarah_Chauncey
From September 2005 through January 2008, I was a strategic storyteller with Envisioning + Storytelling, a small, innovative company based in West Van...
(more)Explore related pages
USMC- Semper Fi! This site is dedicated to all, who have ...
Account Planning School Of The Web- This is a lens for the small but happy band of Account Planners out there. Or pe...
Product Marketing Resource- The number one reason that new or existing product initiatives fail is that mana...
Philadelphia- Welcome to Philadelphia. The fifth largest city in the United States has everyth...
Stein Rogan Partners: Full-Service Branding & Integrated Marketing Communications Agency- Stein Rogan & Partners named 2009 Top Agency of the Year STEIN ROGAN PARTNERS T...
