Got much faster response to my one-question survey query this time around, and not a single spammer yet. A critical mass of four responses is what I aim for before publishing results; however, I think I’ll leave the current survey up for a while to see if others want to respond.
The question is: Are we in the Golden Age of Storytelling? Why or why not? The responses:
No. The Golden Age of storytelling is yet to come. Business people are just now discovering that telling stories about what they have accomplished is far better for building business than facts. Also, with the advent of Social Media, people are telling the stories of their lives and fabulous storytellers are emerging every day.
— Sally Strackbein
I think we are in an age that is rediscovering storytelling…the marketers have found it, alas for storytelling! It is going viral. But you may remember that Taster’s Choice years back had a commercial that was a mini-soap, and certainly the Geico caveman ads are storytelling of a sort. Does that make it a golden age? I’d rather think that it brings storytelling mainstream into consciousness thus expanding opportunities for everyone to recognize story, that it is told, that it has a teller and an audience (sometimes the same person’s head), and that it can shine a light on darkness and clarify confusion. If storytelling become more than the latest gimmick, then it will, indeed, become a golden age.
— Tammy Vitale
No, we are not in the golden age of storytelling. Yes, storytelling is receiving a lot of attention, particularly in books about storytelling. A future generation will determine whether this is the golden age. Yes, there has been a resurgance of storytelling in the last 30 - 35 years, but that does not mean the quality has improved. It’s like poetry. There are more people today who claim to write poetry than ever before. In fact, one can get a master’s in writing poetry. On the flip side, fewer people are reading poetry. In fact, if a book of poetry sells 3,000 copies that is considered good. So having lots of people write poetry does not make this the golden age of poetry. When future generations look back this will probably be the golden age of the personal story. More people are sharing their personal stories than ever before. In fact, some novelists have turned to writing memoirs because they are more popular with the reader. Reality TV, as much as I dislike it, is a form of personal storytelling. It’s like the short story and the novel. Now and then someone gets the bright idea that the form is dying out only to have it come back again. So, no, this is not the golden age of storytelling, just a resurgence of the form.
— Harley King
No, storytelling transcends fad moments. We are in the golden age of the overuse of the word “storytelling” to describe all communication. We are in the golden age of everyone adding “storytelling consultant” to their resume. Storytelling will outlast with or without those of us who dare say we understand its power.
— Sean Buvala
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This is a great question and a nice set of responses. Thanks for what you do with this blog.
I agree with the general sentiment expressed by those who you cite. We aren’t there—yet. Given the action research I spearheaded on organizational story work, there’s a lot of groundwork that still needs to be laid. And laid correctly. I agree with Harlan’s comments about the quality. And, we need to break away from the word “storytelling” to talk about the broader context and usage of story approaches. There’s significant value, for example, in story triggers. Yet we don’t give it as much air time, if any!
Thanks for asking the question.
Lori Silverman
As a follow-up, I also think many of us do not have a good sense of history. Storytelling has been a part of advertising from the day it was born. Many times the stories are forgettable. But on occasion, the story or character may stick in our conscious memories for years. Remember the “Where’s the beef?” grandma? I wrote and published an article on storytelling and advertising more than 25 years ago. Any good salesperson knows how to entertain and sell through the use of stories. I would wager the best merchants even thousands of years ago used stories to promote their products. Story has been a part of business for a long time. We just never called it that and didn’t have story consultants to teach us how to use story.
Even the best leaders know the power of using story to motivate staff and communicate a message. Just read about a biography of Abe Lincoln or Ronald Reagan, both known for their use of story.
So in short, I am in agreement with Sean.
Sorry Kathy, but I think its a silly question you’ve posed here. :-)
Storytelling is the basis of our humanity. What differentiates humans from all other species is our ability to think about the future (check out the book Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, which recently has blown my mind) Our ability to project ideas in the imaginal sphere is a narrative based process through which things are created.
Storytelling is the prima materia of reality, and as our global society becomes more and more complex, the role and importance of storytelling grows as well. All this revolution and innovation in technology translates to an environment where the means of story production have been democratized. Anybody with a story to tell, has a 1,001 platforms for getting their story out. And with the personal branding movement taking form, more and more people are seeking to find their story. Not to mention, so many individuals and organizations in the process of re-inventing their identity.
So to debate when we might enter a so-called “golden age”, is just another attempt to separate and fragment ourselves from the wholeness that already exists, if we just open our eyes to it. Instead of waiting for some moment to arrive, why not step into that larger story right now?
Michael Margolis THIRSTY-FISH www.thirsty-fish.com
Thanks, Harley, Sean, Lori, and Michael for your comments.
Michael, I think what I’m rally trying to get at is why storytelling is getting so much attention at this particular time, and your words below certainly offer a partial explanation.
If the question is silly I guess I will be presenting a silly teleseminar in September for Worldwide Story Work because the seminar will have the sam title. In fact, that’s probably how I came up with the wording for this survey question; I was looking for a catchy title for the teleseminar! LOL.
All this revolution and innovation in technology translates to an environment where the means of story production have been democratized. Anybody with a story to tell, has a 1,001 platforms for getting their story out. And with the personal branding movement taking form, more and more people are seeking to find their story. Not to mention, so many individuals and organizations in the process of re-inventing their identity.