04.
Better Stories have measurable outcomes.
Unless purely for entertainment value, every story should have an economic value. Better Stories are measured by how well the audience responded (and what they did next).
04.1
Narratives and Numbers.
One of the best books I'm read about putting an economic value on a story - Aswath Damodaran's Narrative and Numbers is an essential read for any business storyteller needing to justify the impact of their stories. (View one his his early slideshows at NYU here). [266 pages]
04.2
Telling Valuable Stories.
This lecture recorded at University of Chicago is where Larry McEnerney teaches one of the top writing classes in America. Aimed at helping researchers and academics to tell better stories, this will help you to think differently about the commercial impact of your stories. [81 mins]
04.3
KPI Cheat Sheet.
What KPI's will measure the performance of your business story? Increased sales? Productivity? Time Saved? Higher win rates? NPS? Employee Happines? KPIs help to clearly define the goals and objectives of your story. The art and science of measuring a story sometimes seems like a dark art, but this cheat sheet from KPI Institute will do a good job of pointing you in the right direction.
[Click for Hi-Res image]
04.4
Purpose Driven Story Maps.
Inspired by a simple framework in Nancy Duarte's excellent book DataStory I have been using this variation of it for a few years. It's perfect for executives since it doesn't involve PowerPoint and can summarise outcomes for even the most complex business stories onto the back of a napkin. [10 mins]
04.5
Measuring Transformation.
If stories are about transformation, and business is about outcomes, then a good business story needs to measure the liklihood of a business being transformed by it. BAIN (inventors of the NPS score) use this method called the Change Power Index®. [Microsite]
04.6
Watch Bloomberg Tech.
Bloomberg are one of the best (if not the best) communicators of business stories. Every weekday they have a FREE show that explains the day's business stories from an economic perspective. Watch on-demand, desktop, mobile tablet / device or app. [Click image - 45 mins]
04.7
AI-Powered Storytelling.
Time saved by increased productivity is one of the most powerful KPI's in business storytelling. I've cut my own story development time by 70% using Generative-AI. Microsoft launched a FREE COURSE for beginners to use AI - and it's got some great modules to help storytellers. [GitHub Link]
04.8
Tell $tories Like Casey Neistat.
Watching any video by (or about) Casey Neistat will make you a better storyteller. Especially the ones about his process. This deep dive interview by Dragon Steven Bartlett on his superb DOAC podcast is a masterclass in itself. Click here for the FULL EPISODE. [1 hour 46 mins]
