The art of telling your story
September 30th, 2009 by Anita Filed Under Storytelling
A good story is not necessarily about great deeds and intriguing action – it is your motives and passion that makes it worth listening to.
“Two tomatoes were crossing the street. The first one got over, but a car hit the other one. The first one shouted Come on, ketchup!”
I guess you’ve heard that one before, huh? And – even though I have heard kids tell this joke with amazing passion and laughter in their eyes, causing me to laugh heartily – I cannot claim anything but: This is the most told and most not-funny joke in history.
In one of my storytelling classes a few years ago, we were given the following assignment: Tell the tomato joke. Tell it as a story; tell it like you mean it; tell it to thrill your audience. Impossible?? Not at all!
What if the first tomato is a small, scared kid tomato, while the other one is an obnoxious, annoying, large bully? Or what if these tomatoes just escaped from the tomato farm, running for their lives to avoid being slaughtered to ketchup? Or what if the hottest girl tomato ever is waiting for them on the other side? Or what if this road is a four-lane highway filled with monster trucks?
The story remains the same; two tomatoes crossing the street, one of them being squashed by a car – but the motive driving the story will lift it to a whole new level.
Take a look at your company’s story. It might look simple and boring at a first glance – but there’s always something beneath the surface. Which “what if’s” can you find? Which motives can drive your story? Which passions can you emphasize, making it worth listening too? I promise you, if you look close enough, you will find the motives that will drive your story from a common joke to a thrilling work of art.
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