4 Secrets of Good Storytelling
I love a good story – don’t you? You might have heard of this little-known pop artist I’ve just discovered…Taylor Swift. I’ve listened to her newest album a couple of times while on my walks. She's a darned good storyteller.
This is a shocker: few of us are in the Taylor Swift category of storytelling (or dancing, moviemaking, music writing, making large sums of money, engaged to a football star, etc., etc., etc.). However, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to tell or write a good story.
In fact, Jenny Hoyos, a 19-year-old Instagram and YouTube influencer with millions of followers, recently gave a TED Talk, The Secret to Telling a Great Story in 60 seconds.
Want to know her storytelling “secrets”?
Start with a question. This immediately hooks the listener or reader.
Take your listener/reader on a journey that will get them to the answer to your question. This can either be a fun adventure or one that has serious overtones.
Add conflict. Nothing ever goes smoothly. Add another person into the mix and things surely will heat up.
Call to action and the ultimate resolution. Hoyos focuses on the resolution. But you will also want to have a call to action.
Here’s how this might work at your offering time or in a letter:
- The question: What if our church had no music program?
- The journey: Talk about what a church without music would be like.
- The conflict: Mary Jo, a sophomore in college, wants to attend church because music is a salve to her soul. But there’s no music program.
- The call to action and resolution: Because of you – our church has a robust music program. Your faithful giving makes it possible for us to have a choir director and an organist. Please know that your gifts, tithes, and offerings make the music program here a reality. It’s a salve to many souls. Maybe yours too.
As you might have surmised, there really isn’t a “secret” to good storytelling. Over thousands of years, people have been using these four steps to motivate people to be more moral, to live better lives, and to support important causes. It’s not complicated. It just takes a little time and imagination.
And for a little fun inspiration, here’s an old Taylor Swift song, You Belong with Me.
Short, sweet storytelling at its best.
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Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship – helping with capital campaigns and encouraging more generosity. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. She wants you to check out this short, clever, and informative TED Talk, The Technology of Storytelling
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
Schedule a meeting now.
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