Business of Story

We've all found ourselves in situations where we are at odds with an audience. For example, trying to launch an internal initiative in a corporate environment to a reluctant CEO.    Persuading someone to change an unhealthy behavior. Or getting someone with an opposite view to open up and see things your way. On today's Business of Story, we review the importance of finding common ground to help your stories connect with audiences and move people to action.   We're fortunate to have the documentary filmmaker, Peter Byck, join us. Peter's award-winning films, including Garbage and Carbon Nation, have often placed him at odds with audiences because of his subject matter around the highly charged debate on climate change and our impact on it. Peter is a master at finding common ground with his interviewees, as well as the naysayers who confront him on his sustainable storytelling. You can see how Peter bridges these relationships, not only in his work but also in his two appearances on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher. Peter will show you how to overcome nerves when presenting by placing your audience first and foremost in your intentions. You'll learn the importance of letting serendipity help you find the focus of your storytelling. And he'll reveal why the "Solution" story is one of the most important narratives you can tell to open the hearts and minds of your audiences.  You'll Learn:   How to relate to an audience that disagrees with you Why finding common ground with your audience is vital How focusing on being of service to your audience will help you get your story across Key Quotes: "Let me be of service. Let whatever I'm about to say be helpful." - @peterbyck (click to tweet) I've learned to show people true respect in how I can listen, and they tell me things." - @peterbyck (click to tweet) "I decided to just focus on solutions, and that's what Carbon Nation was all about - solutions." - @peterbyck (click to tweet) "I'm not looking to change somebody's mind. I'm looking to find what they already agree on with me or the other folks." - @peterbyck (click to tweet) Mentioned in This Episode: Peter Byck on Twitter - @peterbyck "Carbon Nation" the Movie Green Biz Soil Carbon Cowboys Peter Byck on Real Time with Bill Maher Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability

With the always-on interwebs, I believe that ADHD is now a communicable disease. And, guess what? We are all the viruses. So, how do you get your brand story to rise above the noise and allow it the opportunity to be heard? Well, we'll look at one way to do that. On today's show, we're going to explore the concepts of irony and juxtaposition in your business stories to help them stand out—to help you stand out—especially with your visual storytelling. Our guest, James Popsys, has a unique view of life captured in the inventive and witty images he creates in Photoshop. His visual storytelling conjures up irony and juxtaposition to stop you in your tracks and trigger stories in your mind. From the verdant babbling brook flowing through the graffiti canals of London to the giant hot dogs grilling on the side of a building to the schooner sailing on top of a hurricane, James and I explore where the inspiration for his images comes from and how you can tap into that for your stories. He'll also show you how you can jumpstart your Instagram page (as you might imagine, a pretty important channel for his work) and, you'll learn his three rules for finding, capturing, and telling visual stories that genuinely stand out. What You'll Learn: How irony and juxtaposition can set you apart Why audiences prefer real as opposed to over-produced The rule of thirds and other tips for Instagram Key Quotes: Everybody has a platform now and there has never been more noise to have to break through to get your voice heard. - @jamespopsys  It's no longer about having the sharpest lenses and getting the exposure spot-on, it's about storytelling. - @jamespopsys  If you can find something that's different, as opposed to better, I think you stand a better chance of standing out. - @jamespopsys I want it to look like somebody has stepped up to a really odd scene and just snapped with their camera. - @jamespopsys  Mentioned in This Episode: James Popsys James Popsys on Twitter, @jamespopsys and Instagram, @jamespopsys Top 10 Photoshop Tips for Beginners "Winning The Story Wars" - by Jonah Sachs Casey Neistat The Ten Best Brand Moments of 2016 PixelSquid How Luck and Intuition Helped to Build Instagram  

It’s often thought that keeping a business's focus more general is a positive way to stay open to more business. But in reality, generalizing actually weakens your brand story. Learning how to be super focused and specific in your brand story’s unique offering will help strengthen your messaging, grow your business, and bring success to your brand. Today’s guest will help you focus your brand story. He’s been marketing high-tech for more than thirty years. He’s taken companies from the early startup stage to hundreds of millions of dollars of sales through focused storytelling. He was most recently the head of international marketing for Infusionsoft, where he helped grow the company from $15 million in annual sales to $100 million. He did this by narrowing the company's brand story, then helping the Infusionsoft team and its customers live into and prosper from that story. Greg Head is now a strategic growth advisor to a number of emerging companies. On today’s show, he’ll share some of the secrets he has gained by interviewing 300 executives over the past year about the growth of their companies. He’ll explain why you need to move from the attention deficit disorder that plagues most startups into the obsessive compulsive disorder mindset required for a focused leader to grow their company. Primary Points: Why being more narrow in your message actually makes it more powerful How to tune into the most important and unique part of your brand story How to grow your business exponentially by lasering into one message   Key Quotes: “The simple answer is the right one and the useful one.” —@GregHead (click to tweet) “You can’t say everything to everybody.” —@GreagHead (click to tweet) “The more you say no, the more the world hears you.” —@GregHead (click to tweet) Mentioned in This Episode: Greg Head Greg Head on Twitter, @GregHead Infusionsoft Egghead CRM Act Software Amazon Seed Spot Jeff Bezos Pagemaker Saleslogix Salesforce

When creating presentations to communicate data within your organization, it can be tempting to focus on just the data and perhaps try and fit too much into one talk. But learning how to trim down to one central theme and use genuine stories is critical to a successful presentation of data, as this narrative will help you connect with your audience and get your message heard. Today’s guest got his start in storytelling by nearly being fired for his lack of telling stories. In fact, he points to a moment when he was in the first grade that kept him from using stories in his career for many decades. This fear was almost fatal to his work in the financial services world, yet now, he teaches people around the world how to use storytelling to connect with audiences and move them to action. Michael Davis, the storytelling M.D., is the founder of Speaking CPR. He has many books on the subject of selling through storytelling. You’ll hear Michael’s own harrowing experience that made him shun the stage for years, and what became the impetus to re-ignite his inner story-teller. You’ll learn the importance of having one central theme to your stories, and how your stories trigger stories in others. We’ll talk about the steps that you can take directly following this program to reignite the silenced storyteller within you. In This Episode, You’ll Learn Why keeping yourself to one topic will help your presentation be heard How to be vulnerable and share personal stories to connect with your audience How you can re-ignite your inner storyteller Key Quotes “My goal is to give life to lifeless presentations and stories.” —@SpeakingCPR  “If we don’t see a change, then the story doesn’t have much meaning to us.” —@SpeakingCPR  “A confused mind says no. A clear mind says go.” —@SpeakingCPR  Mentioned In This Show Michael Davis Michael Davis on Twitter, @SpeakingCPR Speaking CPR Toastmasters International Shawn Callahan Michael Hague Ken Blanchard 52 Storytelling Tips “Sell More With Stories” Michael Davis “One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard Jim Peterson Garden Design Magazine Simon Sinek Business Story Strategist, Keynote Speaker and Brand Raconteur Park Howell is a trusted brand story strategist and sought-after keynote speaker on story marketing. He has helped international brands, including Coca-Cola, Beyer Pharmaceutical, Cummins Diesel, American Express, and United States Air Force. The widely popular Business of Story podcast helps leaders of purpose-driven organizations clarify their stories to grow revenue and amplify their impact. Each episode brings you the brightest content creators, advertising creatives, authors, screenwriters, makers, marketers, and brand raconteurs that show you how to craft and tell compelling brand stories that sell.

Joel Bach, Co-Creator and Executive Producer of Years Living Dangerously, joins the Business of Story Podcast to talk about documentary filmmaking, great characters, and how to call audiences to action through compelling stories. The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now.   In This Episode Why compelling stories start with engaging characters How to use celebrities for education and entertainment Why it’s key to create high stakes for your story How to enhance your brand story with by clarifying your theme Why social media is an important part of being heard How to keep your audience on their toes with uncertain outcomes   Resources Joel Bach Joel Bach on Twitter, @bachchoy Years of Living Dangerously 60 Minutes Don Hewitt David Gelber An Inconvenient Truth United Artists National Geographic Sunrun Katharine Hayhoe Greenpeace Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.

Janine Kurnoff, Founder of The Presentation Company, joins the Business of Story Podcast to discuss how to build your storytelling muscle, four primary story elements to add to every presentation, and a step-by-step process to engage your audience.   The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert, and Oracle. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now.   In This Episode Why your presentations need to start with basic storytelling techniques How to use PowerPoint and visual aids as support for your stories Why storytelling is a muscle that needs to be exercised How to stay fresh and authentic to make a meaningful connection with your audience Why data is important, but not everything, in a well-rounded presentation How to take dry material and make it engaging and compelling   Resources Janine Kurnoff Janine Kurnoff on Twitter, @JanineKurnoff The Presentation Co. Presentation-Company.com Lee Lazarus PowerPoint Nirvana Technologies "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell “Your DIY Guide to Crafting and Telling Compelling Brand Stories that Sell,” by Park Howell BusinessofStory.com Park@BusinessOfStory.com Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.

Nick Gray, Founder of Museum Hack, joins the Business of Story Podcast to discuss the three ‘G’s he uses to measure success, how to connect with millennials, and how to use story to brighten your customer’s experience. The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert, and Oracle. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now. In This Episode Why you have to upset the status quo to get the attention of your consumer How to create a story narrative that is fun and inventive Why it pays to focus on the entire customer experience How to connect with younger generations in a more powerful way Why it’s so important to evolve your storytelling constantly How engaging with your audience encourages them to be active participants in your story   Resources Nick Gray Nick Gray on Twitter, @nickgraynews Museum Hack Metropolitan Museum of Art Cabinets of Curiosity Duccio Di Buoninsegna Idea Museum "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell “Your DIY Guide to Crafting and Telling Compelling Brand Stories that Sell,” by Park Howell BusinessofStory.com Park@BusinessOfStory.com Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.

Gabriella Mirabelli, Founder of Anatomy Media, joins the Business of Story Podcast to talk about media trends today, the shift in younger generations, and why story always matters. The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert, and Oracle. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now. In This Episode Why a great story will always be necessary for successful marketing How to draw the attention of younger generations Why it’s key to create compelling content instead of just pushing your message How to strengthen your brand story by breaking it down to basics Why you must listen to your consumers and enable their control of your content How to know what data is helpful and what data to ignore  Resources Gabriella Mirabelli Gabriella Mirabelli on Twitter, @g_mirabelli Anatomy Media PricewaterhouseCoopers Books of Survival: The Art of John Eric Broaddus Traci Johnson Consumer Electronics Show "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell “Your DIY Guide to Crafting and Telling Compelling Brand Stories that Sell,” by Park Howell BusinessofStory.com Park@BusinessOfStory.com   Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.

Julian Mather, Founder of Tailor Made Career, joins the Business of Story Podcast to discuss three-act structure, how he went from sniper to filmmaker, and shares tips on how to get great video with your smartphone.   The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert, and Oracle. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now. In This Episode  Why it’s so important to be able to let go in order to get to your next chapter How to completely recreate yourself at any stage of your career Why the basic three-act structure it inherent in all storytelling How to simply and effectively create amazing videos with just your iPhone How to use video testimonials from existing clients to expand your business   Resources Julian Mather Julian Mather on Twitter, @JulianMather Tailor Made Career Podcast Tailormadecareer.com SmartLav ProPrompter MacGyver "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell “Your DIY Guide to Crafting and Telling Compelling Brand Stories that Sell,” by Park Howell BusinessofStory.com Park@BusinessOfStory.com Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.

Jayde Lovell, Founder and CEO at ReAgency, joins the Business of Story Podcast to talk about her personal journey through science and marketing, the number one emotion needed to make your story go viral, and the evolution of social media storytelling. The Business of Story is sponsored by Emma, Convince & Convert, and Oracle. Emma helps marketers everywhere send smart, stylish email newsletters, promotions, and automated campaigns, and help us all rest a little easier knowing our marketing emailing is doing its job. Check out their newest publication at Myemma.com/click. Each day the team at Convince & Convert picks a topic and sends you the three best resources ever created about that topic. It's topical, it's timely, it's useful, so go to definitivedigest.com and subscribe to their email newsletter now.   In This Episode Why understanding the structure of story is absolutely essential to successfully delivering your message How natural selection applies to social media and the digital age How to use more concise formats, like Twitter, effectively to simplify your story Why anger is the top emotion to cause virality in posts   Resources Jayde Lovell Jayde Lovell on twitter, @JaydeLovell ReAgency NASA Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Steve Clayton Young Turks Network "The Hero's Journey," by Joseph Campbell “Your DIY Guide to Crafting and Telling Compelling Brand Stories that Sell,” by Park Howell BusinessofStory.com Park@BusinessOfStory.com   Visit http://bit.ly/BizofStory for more insights from your favorite storytellers.