How to Tell a Great (Short) Story

In the past few months, I’ve interviewed a devoted cardiologist who lost most of his family to heart disease, a veteran who left war-torn Afghanistan for a peaceful, steady career treating wastewater, and parents whose autistic son just learned how to ride a bike.

The interviews were part of assignments to develop content for social media, press releases, and a report. All of them are short, interesting, and reinforce powerful ideas and brands. The subjects enjoyed telling their stories; I loved shaping them into workable content and material for clients.

Here are a few quick tips on developing great stories:

Do an interview. Asking someone to tell their story through an email or to write their story is not as effective as interviewing. In that one-on-one discussion, you’ll find brilliant details, genuine passion, and a new angle to an old tale. Many people aren’t comfortable writing, or over-edit their own voice, or are too close to the topic to see a great story. Help them by listening.

Paraphrase. A story is not a transcript; it’s a fable or a legend. Help your subject tell their story the most effective, accurate way possible. Most subjects would prefer to have their prose cleaned up. As always, determine before you get started what the review process of your material will be.

Keep it short. When you’re turning your notes into actual content – written material or a video – make it brief, then edit again. Figure out what you can cut without losing the main point. Ernest Hemingway reportedly won a bet by telling an entire story in six words: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Add an image. A great story should include a visual. Just one, high quality photo of the subject will work. 

Keeping It Simple, Even When It Isn't

My best summer college job was canvassing door-to-door. And one of the most enduring aspects of it was a training lesson that continues to this day to be valuable.

I worked for a group that sought support for environmental legislation. As a canvasser, I knocked on doors asking for petition signatures and contributions. My manager determined my “turf” –the neighborhood I was canvassing. I might spend Tuesday in an upscale subdivision, and Wednesday in a trailer park. We had a nightly quota, so failure to raise a certain amount of money meant a quick end to a canvasser’s summer job.

Talking to strangers about policy issues and then asking for something is intimidating. Like all things challenging, however, there is a way to get started. And that approach works, not only in canvassing but also in fundamental business communications, whether it’s meeting a potential client or presenting an idea to a group.

The lesson is to start off with: I am, we are, we do, we want.

Sounds simple because it is: introduce yourself, your organization, explain concisely what your organization does, and ask for what you want.

It’s surprising how effective that simple “rap” can be. Your audience simply wants to know who you are and what you want. Once they understand, they’re often happy to help you. At the very least, they should know who you are and why you’re on their doorstep—or in their conference room.

The beauty part of this is its simplicity. Despite the complicated things we do, whether it’s in biotechnology or financial services, we ought to be able to introduce an organization and a concept simply, to the point that the listener understands what you’re talking about. In fact, Albert Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

Of course, I had a few doors slammed in my face. But for every resounding, “not interested,” a dozen more would follow who wanted to know more, to chat, and to act.

During three summers of canvassing, and beyond in my career as a communications professional, I’ve found that “rap” has been one of the most effective, fundamental approaches to get something done.