media

No Stories For You!

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I’ll admit that it isn’t always easy to find the story in the content you producing, whether its video, instruction or marketing materials. Sometimes the content is so straight forward (or some might say dry) that it’s pretty much impossible to find the story in it. I get it, I’ve been there too.

Solid rivets

Not all content is riveting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve done a video on the test a single continuous weld (that was riveting – well it was welding, there were no rivets involved). I’ve worked on regulation and planning documents, there’s not much of a story there. Sometimes in instructional design you have to develop content on a subject that is so simple, or so complicated, or bounces back and forth between the two making it difficult to keep a good hold on the thread of the story.

So what do you do? In some cases you can wrap a story around the information. This works really well in instructional design and for writing things like articles and blog posts. Instead of finding the story in the content, you tell a story that you can put your information into. You can draw from case studies, interviews or real life stories if you have them. If not you can get creative and make one up. Be careful if you go this route, if you’re talking about real life information for adults you’re probably going to want a story that sounds like real life and truly believable.

There are times when circumstances, the information or the product don’t let you do that. It still doesn’t mean that the content has to be boring. Look at the audience, the medium and the delivery mechanism and see what you can do to make the information as interesting and compelling as possible. In these cases language choice, sentence structure, writing style, layout and visuals make a huge difference in making your content interesting and memorable.

Finding a story is still a great way to get your point across. It can be an entertaining, educational, memorable (and sometimes sneaky) way to get content to your audience. It’s just not always possible. When it’s not it doesn’t mean your content has to be boring.

All This Time and Still No Words

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Wreath-laying ceremony near the site of the cr...

Wreath-laying ceremony near the site of the crash of Flight 93 on the first anniversary of its hijacking. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve started and restarted this post so many times. I think it would be hard to find anyone over the age of 16 or so here in the United States that would say that they weren’t affected by the September 11th attacks. Everyone remembers where they were, and everyone has a story. You would think that someone who loves to tell stories would be able to tell theirs. But I rarely do.

I grew-up in Somerset County, about 20 minutes from where Flight 93 came to rest. I knew a few of the first responders and a coworker lived in the debris field. I knew a lot of the television videographers and reports that spent weeks at the media camp near the crash site. My husband was one of them. So was one of our groomsmen, the reporter who helped get us together, and more friends than I care to count.

This is where, even after all this time, I can’t find the right words to tell the story. There are things that people behind the cameras see and share with those they trust that the rest of the world will never know. It changes how we see the world and how we’re affected by events like 9/11. Men and women who do their best to carry on as professionals while witnessing so much heartbreak and fear. And still, no matter how hard I try I can’t find a way to describe what it was like without it immediately becoming raw, and the feeling that it’s not entirely my story to tell.

I know it doesn’t compare to the pain of those who lost loved ones. Or the trauma experienced by survivors and first responders. But, it is very real. It happened and it was hard for the people who went through it and their families.

It’s still hard to talk about in many ways. That’s why, after all this time, I still can’t find the right words.

Power of Photos and Video in Storytelling

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Sometimes, like with the horrible attack in Colorado last week, we find ourselves trying to tell the story of what happened. Trying to explain it and to make sense of it. Sometimes words are just not enough. That’s where video and photography come in.

A picture is worth a thousand words. The grief-stricken face of someone who’s life has been changed forever. Hands joined in compassion and prayer. Words can describe what you see, but it’s the images that tell the story of loss.

Video has the power to go that step further. Cellphone footage of people running for their lives. Groups of people huddled together crying for relief that they’re alive, out of a kind of terror most of us will never understand and for the loss of innocence and lives. The power of seeing and hearing a crowd gathered, candles flickering, as they try to make sense of it all and find hope in the words that are spoken, can be overwhelming.

It’s this power that pictures and video have that have always drawn me towards these mediums. The way a single picture can find a way to say the things that words can’t seem to. The way a piece of video can draw you in and make you feel. And to do it well, to me that’s a super power.

But there does need to be responsibility with this power. Since the shootings we’ve seen people hungry to show more without a thought for the story they’re supposed to be telling, or for the people being touched by their work. Everyone wants that one great shot. But in times like these, especially in situations like this, we must not lose site of the real life pain and suffering of the people whose stories we’re trying to tell. As responsible storytellers we should never increase someone’s suffering to tell our story instead of theirs.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. Thank you for sharing your stories with us.

Is Social Media Changing How We Tell Stories?

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I read this post and it got me thinking. Obviously social media is changing the way we tell stories. We can now share what’s happening to us, as it’s happening, with video and/picture proof. There’s no planning ahead. There’s no deep thought on the best way to share a story, or looking forward to telling it the next time you see someone. With a couple of clicks of your smartphone, tablet or the old school laptop and everyone who knows you knows exactly what happened.

There’s no saving a story for the next family get together – they read all about it on Facebook. There’s no go to anecdote for parties – they saw it on Twitter and retweeted. They re-pinned the picture we took of the dog and pinned on Pinterest. They saw the crazy cat video you posted on YouTube.

Where are the stories we save and savor telling our friends or family? Where are the great icebreaker stories that we prepare for awkward social encounters (fulling willing to admit, this may just be me)? What do we have to talk about at dinner tonight when our every move is posted, pinned, tweeted and shared as it happens?

I’m curious. Has social media, and the instant gratification that it brings, changed the way you tell stories? Do you still relate the stories of your day when your out with friends or sitting around the dinner table with your family? Has social media helped you start conversations because people see what you posted and prompt you for the full story?

Answer the poll and share your thoughts below.