Micro-Storytelling: Everything You Need To Know About This Tiny But Powerful Technique
What if there was a type of storytelling that only required ‘one sentence’ to be impactful?
Would you be curious about it?
Ah, I’m glad you said yes 😉
Because that’s exactly what I want to share with you today. It’s pretty cool.
I call it >>> MICRO-STORYTELLING.
It’s actually not a term widely used (because I named it).
As its name suggests, it’s the smallest form of storytelling possible. But, it still packs a bit of a punch in terms of Return On Investment (ROI).
It will give you more buy-in. Help you influence behaviour change. Showcase value.
I saw this in action recently and it got me!
Let me share what that was, then I’ll break down the technique for you.
So back in March, I was looking for a walking toy for my 9 month old. You know those toys that babies can hold onto and walk / push around the house, to help them learn to walk? (Here’s a photo of what I mean)
Ok, I’d found a few ads that were selling what I wanted. So I saved two that were not far from my place.
Now – they were of the same type of walking toy. Same condition. Pretty much same price.
But, one really called out to me. Because of the way the ad was worded.
One was just pure facts || The other had a ‘micro-story’.
The facts were easy to ignore. The micro-story painted a picture of what would be possible with the toy.
Here are both ads.
#1 – THE AD WITH FACTS
#2 – THE AD WITH A MICRO-STORY
If you’re curious to know, I contacted and bought the toy that had the ‘micro-story’. It got me!
I find stuff like this so interesting to analyse and leverage moving forward.
My key takeaways were as follows:
The micro-story made me purchase the toy. The facts did not.
But, it wasn’t a long story. It wasn’t drenched in detail. It was just a sprinkling.
In fact it was less words in the micro-story version than the facts version!
I now certainly keep this technique up my sleeve as I can see how even a tiny sprinkle of a story can make a difference to the outcomes it generates.
Even just a sentence worth of an interaction, whether written or verbal.
Something to bring what you’re talking about to life.
How can you use this moving forward?
If you want to help people see the impact of something that’s being proposed, see if you can get a sprinkling of a story nugget in there.
Just think to yourself, ‘who will be doing what’ in the future?
It doesn’t need to be massive and long-winded. It doesn’t need to have a set structure. It doesn’t have to include lots of detail.
As long as it’s got ‘someone’ doing ‘something’, it’s a micro-story.
IN SUMMARY
If you want to help people see the power of what you’re proposing, but you’re not confident to share a full-blown story, you don’t have to!
Simply share a sentence about what that future would look like.
You’ll get more buy-in and behaviour change, for very little extra effort!
Q – What do you think of micro-storytelling!?
Emily
Hey, I’m Emily Edgeley, a Public Speaking Coach for the Tech industry. Since 2017 I’ve transformed the lives of thousands, by helping them to communicate with more power. I’ve run 300+ group coaching sessions, coached more than 250 people privately, and helped more than 100+ others give their first ever Conf talk.
I’m on a mission to help people in Tech communicate with clarity, impact, and confidence. To boost your brand, career and industry influence.
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