The Secret to Compelling Storytelling: Simplicity

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The Secret of Compelling Storytelling is Simplicity. Compelling stories start with great headlines that convey the one key message behind one idea. Keep it simple. According to Colin Powell, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers.” The power of leaders is their ability to not only inform and challenge, but to inspire and create change. Leaders realize they must use confident and concise language.

Use Everyday Language. Great storytelling uses clear, ordinary language. If you can’t quickly understand a concept, business story, even lesson plan in 10 words or less, your audience loses interest. They’re not invested. They disengage and fall asleep. Revise your story until it’s simple.

What is the Big Picture? People want to see the big picture, the big idea before they click and dive into your blog. Just as every book needs a title and every post needs a headline, a good story teller presents one big idea before explaining with the details.

In a blog post, the headline is the one line that captures your reader’s attention and puts the content into context. It’s the message your listener needs to take away. For the best practice on how to craft a story that is condensed and powerful, turn to Twitter and its 140-character limit. Make an effort to condense your point. Your message will be more effective than if it’s ten times the length.

Super Bowl commercials successfully grab an audience’s attention—in just 90 seconds. In 2014, the Budweiser commercial that received the highest ratings among consumers told a complete story in 90 seconds. The heartwarming commercial goes on to win the most popular ad ever to air in the 50-year history of the NFL, according to a study from TiVo and article from Inc.

The “mini movie” that captured viewers’ hearts was called “Puppy Love.” The ad opens with a setting of a white farm house with a picket fence and a sign that reads, “Warm Springs Puppy Adoption.” An adorable puppy—a yellow Labrador—pokes under the fence and runs across the field to meet his friend, a Clydesdale horse in the side barn. At the same time, a relationship develops between the kennel owner and the horse keeper. The day the puppy is adopted, the horse chases the car as the puppy barks from the backseat of the car. “Let Her Go” plays in the background and adds to the emotive journey. The horse is joined by other Clydesdale horses to stop the car. The two friends, the “Best Buds,” are reunited at the end and play together in the pasture. The kennel owner and the horse keeper are together and watch the furry animals. The YouTube video received nearly 60 million views.

John Hopkins researcher, Keith Quesenberry, explains the reason for the success of the best Super Bowl commercial. “Budweiser loves to tell stories—whole movies, really, crunched into 30 seconds,” Quesenberry said. “And people love them.”

How readable is your content?

Test your story. Go to www.readability-score.com. Copy and paste your presentation into the text box. Click “Measure Readability” and the readability level of your text will calculate automatically.

Test how readable your story is at readability-score.com.
Test how readable your story is at readability-score.com.

What is your average grade level score?

The Flesch-Kincaid formula is a tool that measures how easy it is to read and understand a passage in a book. It determines the grade level at which students should be able to comprehend books. Powerful storytellers like Steve Jobs and Ernest Hemingway offer content in readability scores of fourth to sixth grade. They understood that using simplified language moves their audience more than difficult language.

If your score places you above fourth to sixth grade, you might want to reconsider the wording (for the consumer audience). Being simple rather than being complex has more influential power.

Powerful Storyteller’s Tool Kit

Great storytellers tell a succinct, simple story. They’ve learned to craft a compelling narrative lasting as little as 60 seconds.

How is your content or post? Can you make it easier to understand? Are there challenging words that might distract your readers from your main idea?

Ask a friend or family reader to read your writing and point out any complex words. Revise and unleash the power of your writing.

 

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