Annette Simmons

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March 18, 2014 by admin Leave a Comment

The art of seeing the story…

popup1Joe Dager of Business 901 and I begin by talking about the similarities between storytelling and art in this podcast.

I promise to send out a new Story Factor Podcast soon. I’ve been writing and editing the second edition of Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins and there is so much I want to add! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Q & A Tagged With: Annette Simmons, Business 901, business storytelling, influence, inspiration, Joe Dager, leadership, Story Factor podcast, storytelling, true stories

January 22, 2014 by admin 3 Comments

Episode #14 – Secrets from the MOTH!

Lea Thau
Lea Thau was creative director of TheMoth.org for a decade (2001-2010), developing the format and process that has become one of the most popular storytelling organizations in the world.  From the beginning, Lea favored the idea of sticking to true stories told in the first person – a critical decision that created what we know as “the Moth format.” If you haven’t subscribed to the Moth podcast do it now.  You will become a better storyteller simply by listening to the craft, detail and structure embedded in these wonderful stories.

Lea now has her own show called Strangers on KCRW – a podcast I also highly recommend. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Annette Simmons, business storytelling, influence, inspiration, interview, interview techniques narrative, narrative, podcast, self confidence, Story Factor podcast, true stories

December 11, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Episode #8 – Jane Praeger: Story and Suspense for Business Presentations

Using Personal Stories and Adding Suspense to your Storytelling

jane-praegerJane Praeger’s thirteen years of documentary filmmaking helps her coach executives and improve their presentations. She says,

“I realized I could bring all I learned about narrative, theme, characters…to the business world… where it was missing.”

Initially Jane delivered media training. One day a client complained, “Everyone falls asleep when I speak.” He sent Jane a video but “he didn’t seem too bad.” Only after she read his speech did she understand the problem.

The content of his speech was painfully boring. He didn’t need presentation skills – he needed better content!

websitepodcastgfxRather than go into media training mode and film him speaking she spent the entire session helping this man rework his content, his thesis, and his point of view. Most importantly they added stories and made it suspenseful. She said they never got around to using the camera but told him “go try this out and call me in three weeks and we will do some camera work.” After he didn’t call she checked in. He told her “I don’t need media training anymore! Everyone is awake and I even get applause now!” Media training was targets delivery and performance but most of the time it is a content problem.

The best part for me is how Jane explains using suspense and surprise makes stories exciting.  Here is a clip from the end of one of Jane’s documentaries.  Heart stopping, suspenseful, and packs a punch.  Have a look:

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Feed link: http://ia801002.us.archive.org/26/items/StoryFactorPodcast008/StoryFactorPodcast008.mp3

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Annette Simmons, business storytelling, influence, inspiration, Jane Praeger, leadership, metaphor, narrative, podcast, self confidence, Story Factor podcast, storytelling, true stories

November 26, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Episode #6 – Two GREAT Questions! from Karen Dietz

Karen DietzThe closest thing to mind control is asking a good question.  As in the old example:

Q: Are you thinking about a pink elephant?

A: No. Yes. Well, I wasn’t thinking about a pink elephant until you asked me if I was thinking about a pink elephant!

This podcast includes a fantastic short clip from my first interview with Karen Dietz.  I tell a story so she can  demonstrate the questions she uses to encourage “reflection and flow.”  It is less than ten minutes long. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Annette Simmons, inspiration, interview techniques narrative, leadership, narrative, podcast, story, Story Factor podcast, storytelling

October 21, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Just do it! Iteration or "playing it by ear" is a great way to learn storytelling and find great content fast

I recently posted that Coke shifted half their marketing content research budget from qualitative research to iterations.
One of my friends responded:  “So?”
Okay, fine. I went all geeky.  I will try to redeem myself with an example of how that works. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Q & A Tagged With: Annette Simmons, business storytelling, communication, group process, influence, inspiration, iteration, iterative process, leadership, learning, meetings, narrative, organizational barriers, staff meeting, story, storytelling, true stories

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Storytelling 101

Ray, Rosa, Ted and me sharing dinner and stories.

Stories with a Moral Blueprint – part 8 of 8

May 14, 2020 8:43 am

  We need a Magic School for Storytellers Thirty years before J. K. Rowling created Harry Potter, Ursula Le Guin’s... Read more →

Posted in: Annette's Blog, Big T Truths
BIg T Truths make stories come alive.

Stories with a Moral Blueprint – part 7 of 8

May 13, 2020 7:37 am

  Truth in Storytelling When I wrote the first edition of The Story Factor twenty years ago, I began with the... Read more →

Posted in: Uncategorized
oz

Stories with a Moral Blueprint – part 6 of 8

May 12, 2020 6:48 am

The Moral Dilemmas of a Lion, a Scarecrow, and a Tin Man Frank Baum’s original introduction to The Wizard of... Read more →

Posted in: Annette's Blog, Big T Truths
We need trust to survive and thrive.

Stories with a Moral Blueprint – part 5 of 8

May 11, 2020 8:38 am

  Blueprints for Building Trust Learning to drive was fun until I hit the mailbox. I burst into tears, blaming... Read more →

Posted in: Annette's Blog, Big T Truths
"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

Stories with a Moral Blueprint – Part 4 of 8

May 8, 2020 8:13 am

  Brand Stories: Trust Based on Trustworthy Behaviors Nike has employed corporate storytellers since the 1990s. Their decision to illustrate... Read more →

Posted in: Annette's Blog, Big T Truths

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