Thursday, March 8, 2012

The Clues to a Great Story


Andrew Stanton wrote the first film produced entirely on a computer, Toy Story. But what made that film a classic wasn't the history-making graphic technology -- it's the story, the heart, the characters that children around the world instantly accepted into their own lives. In the video below he shares some of his insights into the art and science of story telling. Many of these are applicable to crafting a sticky sabha presentation.


Note between 1:08 and 1:011 in the video some colorful language is used.

  • Story telling is joke telling
  • [Story telling] is knowing everything you are saying from beginning to the last is leading to a singular goal.
  • [Story telling] is confirming some truth that deepens our understanding of who we are as human beings.
  • "Frankly there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story."
  • Story commandment: Make me care. [this one really resonates with us, this is the goal of sabha]
  • Great stories start by making a promise that this talk or story will lead somewhere that is worth your time. [again this is the promise we need to make in sabha, and fulfill it]
  • The audience actually wants to work for their meal [they want to be engaged and made to think]. They just don't want to know that they are doing that. [again in any sabha, the audience wants to think, but they do not want to know before hand that they have to think - entertain me.]
  • Stories are inevitable if they are good, but they are not predictable.
  • Stories infuse wonder.
  • Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.



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