In this presentation you will learn how to craft better stories and communicate ideas to an audience in the most effective way.

1. How-to Craft a Great Story
It’s not too late to become a better
storyteller
Part II
mr.Michael.Kurz@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-kurz/9/b59/2a0

2. Once upon a time

3. There was a young and beautiful
girl named Scheherazade

4. Every day she was watching her
father, a vizier of Sultan Shahryar of
Persia, who's duty was to provide
the Sultan with a virgin to marry him
and just being executed the very
next morning.

5. One day her father couldn't find
another virgin anymore.

6. Because of that, Scheherazade
offers herself as the next bride and
her father reluctantly agrees.

7. That night Scheherazade begins to
tell the Sultan a story, but doesn't
end it. The Sultan, curious about
how the story ends, postpones the
execution in order to hear the
conclusion. Every night, as soon as
she finishes one story, she
immediately starts a new one.

8. Until finally, after One Thousand
and One Nights, the Sultans dies
and Scheherazade is free again.

9. Ever since the Power of Storytelling
is universally known

10. In this presentation you will learn
how to craft better stories and
communicate ideas to an audience
in the most effective way.

11. Storytelling is not a discipline,
it’s rather a technique and art form
to draw people into something and
convey a message.

12. “If you tell a
story well,
people will
come.”
– Damian Lewis

13. “Whoever tells the best
story shapes the culture.”
– Erwin McManus

14. A definition of story
Story begins when an event, either by human
decision or accident in the universe, radically upsets
the balance of forces in the protagonist's life,
arousing in that character the need to restore the
balance of life. To do so, that character will conceive
of what is known as an "Object of Desire," that which
they feel they need to put life back into balance. They
will then go off into their world, into themselves, in the
various dimensions of their existence, seeking that
Object of Desire, trying to restore the balance of life,
and they will struggle against forces of antagonism
that will come from their own inner natures as human
beings, their relationships with other human beings,
their personal and/or social life, and the physical
environment itself. They may or may not achieve that
Object of Desire; they may or may not finally be able
to restore their life to a satisfying balance. That, in the
simplest possible way, defines the elements of story -
an event that throws life out of balance, the need and
desire to restore the balance, and the Object of
Desire the character conceives of consciously or
unconsciously that they can pursue against the
forces of antagonism from all of the levels of their life
that they may or may not achieve.
- Robert McKee

15. The task of story design is simple.
Hook, hold and payoff
the audience's interest.

16. The Hook
Does my story immediately hook or engage the
audience and builds curiosity?
Hold
Does the protagonist's constant pursuit of his or her
desire hold the audience interest?
Pay-Off
Does the story climax close all of the audience open
emotions and answer all of the audience questions of
cause and effect, of why and how?

17. There are various forms of story
told in different types of media
*Each medium offers own characteristics and possibilities (e.g. presentation, actions, interactivity) and faces
consumer behaviors (e.g. attention spam, lean in vs lean back mode)

18. Since Aristotle novels, screenplays, games, even
ballets have a simple overarching 3-act structure in
common
Act 1 Act 2 Act 3
I I I
I
Middle End
Beginning
*This 3-act structure can be found not just in whole screenplays, but in acts, sequences and scenes

19. Which doesn’t mean you cannot be creative
anymore.
“A story should have a beginning,
a middle and an end,
but not necessarily in that order.”
- Jean Luc Godard

20. A story is a journey.
A change from an old status quo to
a new one through action and
conflict

21. Act 1 Act 2 Act 3
I I I
I
Middle End
Beginning
character faces a series
Rising Action
Where the main
of conflicts
Exposition
Climax
Faling Action
Resolution
Beginning of the story
where characters and
setting are introduced
Events leading to the
end of the story
End of the story
The most exciting part of the story;
Where the central question posed by
the story is answered

22. Story design is built from an inciting incident, when
things went out of balance, to the climax when
balance is restored.
Rising Action
Exposition
Climax
Faling Action
Resolution
Inciting Incident or Plot point
(= an event or moment that begins a story’s problem)

23. Nice, but what’s in it for you?

24. Story design is teaching us the most
effective way to involve an
audience.

25. Through stories we are able to
communicate in a way that
resonates, creates excitement and
conveys an idea in a way that
people can remember and pass on.

26. In Short:
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to
put ideas into the world today.”
—Robert McKee

27. Nancy Duarte shows us
the way how to incorporate
stories into presentations

28. Here you can see the basic story structure
of presentations made by the greatest
communicators of all time.

29. The structure takes the audience on a journey
that evolves around the story design of our
3-act structure:
The Status Quo = Exposition
Obstacles = Rising & Falling Action
What could be = Resolution

30. Like in every good story overcoming
obstacles leads to a transformation which
paints a picture of the new bliss.
What could be
What is
(Old world/
Status Quo)
(Future)
Gap
What could be What could be
What is
(Obsticles)
New World
description
(Resolution)
What is
(Obsticles)
What is
(Obsticles)
Inciting Incident or Plot point
(= an event or moment that
begins a story’s problem)
Source: https://www.ted.com/speakers/nancy_duarte

31. The most popular story structure is Joseph
Campbell’s “monomyth" also know as
“The Hero’s Journey”
Resurrection
Road Back
Return with
the Elixir
Ordinary
World
Call to
Adventure
Refusal of
the Call
Meeting the
Mentor
Crossing the
Threshold
Test, Allies
& Enemies
Approach
the Inmost
Cave
Reward
Ordeal
Ordinary
World
Special
World
1
2
12
11
10
6
5
9
8
7
3
4
Source: Campbell J. The Hero With a Thousand Faces

33. Final mastery
of the problem
The power of the Evil
Empire is destroyed
Resurrection
Road Back
Reward
In the final battle, Luke
hears Obi-Wan’s voice
and uses the Force to
make an impossible
shot that destroys the
Death Star.
Obi-Wan
sacrifices himself
to help the team
to escape. The
Death Star follows
them to destroy
the Rebels base
In the trash
compactor, Luke is
pulled underwater by
a creature but is
rescued by his
friends
Dressed as Stormtroopers
they discover the princess,
and attempt to rescue her
Source: http://thewritingcafe.tumblr.com
Return with
the Elixir
Ordinary
World
Call to
Adventure
Refusal of
the Call
Meeting the
Mentor
Crossing the
Threshold
Test, Allies
& Enemies
Approach
the Inmost
Cave
Ordeal
1
2
12
11
10
6
5
9
8
7
3
4
Limited
awareness of
a problem
Increased
awareness
Reluctance
to change
Overcoming
reluctance
Committing
to change
Experimenting
with first change
Experimenting
with first change
Final attempt at
a big change
Rededication
to change
Consequences
of the attempt
Attempting a
big change
Luke dreams of joining the
academy but feels he is going
nowhere on his uncle’s farm
R2D2 plays a portion of Princess
Leia’s call for help.
Luke refuses to follow
Obi-Wan
R2D2 plays the entire
message, revealing
that Luke holds the
plans of Death Star.
Obi Wan gives Luke
his father’s lightsaber
and tells him of his
heritage
Luke’s aunt and uncle
are killed, so he is free
They hire Han Solo and
Chewbacca to join their allies
and escape the Stormtroopers
Ob Wan teaches Luke how to use the Force.
The ship is captured by the Death Star the find
themselves inside the enemy’s stronghold
Source: http://justinswapp.com

34. To unfold a story using Campbell’s
structure is not just possible for epic
stories like Star Wars or The Lord of
the Rings, but can also be used for
short stories/ads with limited time.

35. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8axp9nHNU

36. Nevertheless there are
Commonalities and Distinctions
between unfolding a story
for a novel/featured film
or a short film/ad.

37. Time is what differentiates a short
film/ad from a novel/featured film
most.

38. ‘Condense’

39. Put your emphasis on a key moment
rather than try to tell a whole life
story from birth to death

40. ‘Show don’t Tell’

41. Life is one fucking beauty contest
after another

42. ‘Actions speak louder than words’

43. Having less time to establish a
character means characters have to
be defined by the actions we see

44. What is true for all stories

45. True for all stories are the basic
elements that shape action
The Story
What‘s the essence of the story
The Protagonist
Who the story is about
The Setting
Where and when the story
takes place

46. ‘Create Universal Appeal’

47. Hollywood is well known for stories
with an universal appeal even
though there is a tendency toward
spectacle over substance

48. ‘Drama is Conflict’

49. A protagonist needs an antagonist,
which in a business context can be
a competitor or a game changing
technology.

50. ‘Overcome obstacles’

51. Your protagonist must have a goal and
something or someone standing in the
way of that goal.

52. ‘Characters have to change & evolve’

53. A transformation can be both inside
and outside

54. ‘Make it personal”

55. Barack Obama’s political
career was launched by
building empathy with the
book
Dreams from My Father

56. ‘Be Original’

57. The future isn’t a place that we
gonna go, it’s a place that you get to
create

58. ‘Make them laugh’

59. Your audience loves to get physical

60. Even the best storytellers
start with a blank paper.
If you catch yourself staring
at it for too long, the Story
Spine is a narrative tool to
make up stories and has
already been used by
Pixar’s greatest minds.

61. The Story Spine - A creative exercise
to develop high-level structural ideas
Once upon a time there was ___(introduces the protagonist).
Every day,___(sets the scene before the trigger or catalyst).
One day ___(introduces “what happened” – the trigger or catalyst
that sets the story in motion).
Because of that, ___(explains the response to “what happened”).
Because of that, ___(repeat as needed to trace what happened).
Until finally ___(….until the story reaches a climax or turning point).
Ever since then___(resolves the story and describes what things
are like now)
Source: http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/22/the-story-spine-pixars-4th-rule-of-storytelling/

62. Ready?
Let it out, because…
“There is no agony like bearing an untold
story inside of you.”
–Maya Angelou

63. That’s all Folks
mr.Michael.Kurz@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-kurz/9/b59/2a0