A Plethora of Tips for Better Storytelling

Back in the spring, M. Amedeo Tumolillo, a.k.a., Flying Flashlight, published lists of storytelling tips by three well-known storytellers, the late novelist Kurt Vonnegut, playwright David Mamet, and screenwriter/screenwriting teacher Robert McKee. While the authors of these tips work(ed) primarily in the fiction realm, these tips work equally well for … Continue reading

The Story Guru Q&A Process

Recently, storyteller Eric James Wolf turned the tables on me. I’ve conducted more than 57 Q&As with story practitioners — and now Eric has done a Q&A with me. I thought it would be worthwhile to excerpt some of it here because it explains some of my philosophies and approaches … Continue reading

Deploying Stories to Instill Company Values

I always especially appreciate content about storytelling related to employment. While my personal crusade is about storytelling in the job search, I’m also interested in the flip side — how employers use stories to entice, retain, and engage employees. Employee engagement is a major hot-button topic in HR, and some … Continue reading

Four Perspectives on Story in Healthcare

I’ve come across (somewhat) recently four ways storytelling is being used in healthcare. Here are some perspectives on those approaches: Patient stories are widely available on the Internet but are not always trustworthy: In a guest post on e-patients.net, Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, notes three kinds of patient stories that can … Continue reading

Storytelling and Postmodernism

Recently, storyteller Eric James Wolf turned the tables on me. I’ve conducted more than 57 Q&As with story practitioners — and now Eric has done a Q&A with me. I thought it would be worthwhile to excerpt some of it here because it explains some of my philosophies and approaches … Continue reading

A List Too Great Not to Reprint

In an exuberant blog entry called The Chemistry of Storytelling, Marguerite Grant has created an inspiring list that answers the question, “Why story?” We don’t just buy a product, we buy the story behind it. We don’t just join a company, we join because of its story. We don’t just … Continue reading