Storytelling and the impact it has on our communication is increasingly talked about today, particularly when it comes to social media management, content creation, and even presentations and seminars.
But what exactly is Storytelling?
As the word itself implies, Storytelling is all about telling a Story, creating a certain Narrative be it through words, images, colors, sounds, the way we dress or any other means. And it is simply and exactly that.
Now, although we may understand it as a technical term used by communication or advertising experts, among others, it is an everyday operation that we all carry out on more levels than we probably think, involving both our work and private lives.
What lies behind a Narrative?
When we decide to tell a story, we can focus on two elements: the What and the How.
The What is the content of our story, the story itself, which is the relationship and eventual causality between a series of events and between the people who inhabit them directly or indirectly.
On the other hand, the How is the form through which we transmit that content and which derives, and is therefore evidence, of the interpretation as semantization that we adopt consciously or unconsciously of those events and their relationships.
In one way or another, beyond the transmission of a story, Narrations allow us to inquire about the possible relationships and therefore the possible causes of certain events or behaviors. From this, we all create Narratives of some kind, either to understand and elaborate the history of mankind, or to find the reason why the guy I am dating hasn’t texted me back.
Who hasn’t imagined about the reasons why our romantic partner behaved the way they behaved, did what they did and said what they said?
Or even, instead of our romantic partner, one of our parents, any other family member, our best friend?
Fabricating narratives is something that stimulates interaction between our two hemispheres, and it is something that is part of our essence, whether in the form of study, exposition, gossip, or invention of plays, dramas, beliefs and myths. It is an activity that helps us to relate and connect with the people and the environment around us while determining the form of these same relationships.
Let us remember that interpretation is a form of interaction.
How do Narratives affect our lives?
At work: from my professional image, which defines the future in which I imagine myself from a young age, and which determines my choice of studies and work, to the way I show myself in public and relate to others, from the visual identity of a logo or a company, to advertising campaigns and editorial communication plans. Therefore, it affects the life of both an individual and a corporation.
From a branding point of view, this storytelling process focuses mainly on the creation and dissemination of a brand story, almost as if it were a person. Where it comes from (e.g. the people who created it, the place and conditions where it was born) and where it is going (i.e. the mission and vision of the company or project, its objectives), what it wants to offer to society and people in general (i.e. services, experiences, products) and what its personality is like, so the way it presents itself and how it dresses (e.g. typography, colors, logo, advertising material and architecture of the stores or offices). It’s important to be clear about the contents and the way in which you want to transmit them, and eventually to work with a professional who supports and handles communications and brand identity aspects. This plays in favor of the creation of a good story, of a fluid Storytelling that really impacts an audience.
In this case, the risk of an existential crisis is lower because we are facing the narrative of a brand and not of personal aspects that determine the reflection of our own identity. At least not directly.
In my private life: it is the conscious or unconscious creation of The Narration with both capital letters. It is The Story that, in the long run, really matters to us: the meaning of our life.
Where do we come from and where are we going? Who are we, deep down? How have we evolved and what have we become after all our experiences? What does it mean that I did this thing instead of that other thing? What does it say about me that I thought and felt this at this very moment?
This is the narrative by which we live, which somehow guides – and is in turn guided by – our actions. Every time we get upset with ourselves, that we feel dissatisfied with our current situation, it is because we find ourselves in a version of the Narrative that we do not want or that leads us away from the results we expect.
The Narrative we create and choose for our lives determines the relationship we have with our past, the vision we have of ourselves in the present, and the future we long for and manage to imagine. It is similar, for those who have done it, to the experience of creating a character in a role-playing game by choosing their skills, their race or class, their traits and even their name. Those who have experienced it will understand: especially the name.
I think the dynamics in a role-playing game are not far from the Narrative we seek and create day by day about and with our lives: what kind of activities do I like to associate with and like to be associated with? what titles or official adjectives, from study to work or even my social position, would I like to associate with and like to be associated with? why am I doing what I am doing and why do I like to be associated with these activities?
Why am I doing what I am doing and where do I want to go?
This is the last question and it’s simply and exactly that: what is the origin of the story, its explanation or motivation, and where is it going or what are the possible and most probable endings, how likely it is to create certain consequences rather than others.
Only you can master the meaning you give to your actions and your motivations, beyond the Narratives that try to be universal, only you can know yourself and forge your own life. By letting go of beliefs and structures that do not belong to you, that are not really yours, you can choose to see yourself as Hero or Antagonist in the same way that every antagonist is the hero of his/her own story. We are storytellers by nature.
The question that remains is: how aware are you of your Story?
Originally written in: Spanish
Daniel Vincenzo Papa De Dios
