Storytelling & Narratives

@venkinesiswww.venkinesis.in

Storytelling & narratives

Let me tell you the truth…

I tell two kinds of stories

• Persuasive – of numbers and narratives (Hint: Consulting business)

• Unnoticed – of mavericks, climate change, organic farming & my weird experiments

Storyboard of my life

1990s 2007-Present 2011-2013 2013-Present

Image: Free digital photos

Chapter 1: Storytelling & narratives

Then Now

Once upon a time…

Image: Free digital photos

content is subservient to context

I discovered a sutra.

Balvinder is married, outspoken and deeply engaged with social issues.

Which of the following is more likely?

Balvinder is a bank manager

OR

Balvinder is a bank manager who is an active volunteer at an NGO

Image courtesy: Freedigitalphotos.net

Now, you don’t believe me. Do you?

How a story is supposed to work?

LifeExperiences

FactsEmotional reaction

Emotional reaction

Think/Debate/Argue

Context dies out

Your

Image source: http://soshable.com/make-any-blogging-style-work-for-you/blogger-cartoon/

Does your mask allow you to ‘not be’?

Mark Twain wasn’t Mark Twain.Mark Zorro isn’t Mark Zorro.

Are YOU wearing your digital mask?

..It’s a proof of concept, it’s to prove a theory. And it’s to prove that who you are doesn’t matter. In fact, truth requires that you aren’t anyone, because if you’re someone, whatever you say is always biased. It’s influenced by what you know about that person…It’s the words...not the person that matters

Robot Dinosaur Image source: Fake Grimlock @ Twitter

Mark Zorro Image Sourcehttp://classicmoviesdigest.blogspot.in/2010/04/mark-of-zorro-1940-robin-hood-spanish.html

Marketing and press kicks up dust…It gets in your eye, and then you’re not focusing on the product.

Are you kicking up dust?

Image Source: Forbes Profile Jan Koum http://www.forbes.com/profile/jan-koum/

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Intermission

Chapter 2: Storytelling & Narratives

Rockstar hero wakes up to his bad

dream where his uncle is killed

Hero is suffering from <Insert the latest syndrome>

Hero meets the assassin

Hero kills the assassin

Assassin was the hero’s dad’s best

friend

Image Courtesy: IMDB, Wikipedia

So what are narratives?

What is “Curse of knowledge?

Image source: http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/2011/10/13/can-you-see-the-baby-for-the-trees/

Which narrative Gods do you worship?

Two opposing blog narratives

Seth Godin Image Source: Boing Boing Seth Godin Interview

Inception Image Source: IMDB

Parachute Image Source: Toonpencil

Here’s the narrative formula

1) Lede2) Nut Graf3) Deep Breath. It all began when…4) Then this, Then This, Then this5) Here we are. What comes next?6) Kicker and out

Source: Dan Lyons presentation at INBOUND 2013: “Tell me a story: When Media and Marketing become One”

Which Archetype are you playing with?

1. Betrayal2. Underdog3. Revenge4. Freud/Oedipus5. Resurrection/Oath

Source: Dan Lyons presentation at INBOUND 2013: “Tell me a story: When Media and Marketing become One”

Reality

Media

Data

Algorithm

Narrative

Meaning

New narrative

Reality

Media

Data

Algorithm

Narrative -1

Meaning-1

Narrative-n

Meaning-n

Old narrative

What-if realities

So what?

Thank You

Questions?

Happy Blogging!

Image source: http://soshable.com/make-any-blogging-style-work-for-you/blogger-cartoon/