How to write story-driven reports
Writing a report that reads like a story is demanding. Who are we? James Patterson? Add to that - a tight deadline, high expectations, solid recommendations and insights - it’s a layer cake of difficulty of which no one wants a bite.
To help you, we developed Storymasters: A Guide to Written Stories. It gives you the tools to write great story-driven reports - from sorting out what’s important to your storyline and finding your Big Idea to examples of headlines that stick and pro-tips from the creators of Southpark.
Still skeptical? Consider this…
“The king died and then the queen died.”
“The king died and then the queen died of grief.”
The above two sentences are taken from E.M. Forrester’s famous example of the difference between plot (aka data) and story (aka data with emotion).
We share Forrester’s example for two reasons. One, stories are like a Ziploc bag for data - sealed with emotion. Notice how the “story” example contains the same data points as the “plot” example but is far more compelling. Two, as with literature, there is a difference between a data-driven report and a story-driven report. A report that reads like a story drives action – you want to find out about that king and grief-stricken queen!
Written stories are just part of storytelling equation. Learn how to master spoken and visual stories, by joining Ignite 360’s Storymasters Series. Designed to be digested in bite-size pieces, the series builds over the year with tools, tips, and tricks that go beyond the why directly to the how, so you can become a storymaster.
And… for even more expertise and inspiration on story crafting, check out these posts:
MY RECIPE FOR STORY CRAFTING DELICIOUSNESS
WHAT’S MORE POWERFUL THAN THOR’S HAMMER? THESE 5 STORYTELLING TOOLS [5 MINUTE READ]