Park Howell

#350: How to Craft Your Brand Story Strategy With the Story Cycle System™

#350: How to Craft Your Brand Story Strategy With the Story Cycle System™

Feedspot just named The Business of Story the #1 business storytelling podcast for 2022. It’s an overnight sensation!

But it only took 350 episodes.

So I’m celebrating by taking you by the hand (ok, ear) step-by-step through the Story Cycle System™. For those of you with short attention spans, you get the abridged version in the first 20 minutes of the show (I’ve become a big Blinkist fan).

For heartier listeners, we take a deeper dive in the following 40 or so minutes with loads of examples and exercises for you to start clarifying your brand story strategy. Ok, so this special episode is a scooch over 60 minutes because it’s dripping with practical brand storytelling insight that you can use immediately.

It was almost two years ago when I published my first book, Brand Bewitchery: How to Wield the Story Cycle System™ to Craft Spellbinding Stories for your Brand. Consider this its companion episode. In it, I also talk about finding the authentic personality archetype for your brand. This is more of a visual exercise, so here is the brand archetyping guide just updated this past weekend for your exploration:

Please share this special 350th episode with anyone you know who will benefit by dialing in their brand story strategy. And be sure to listen for the special promo offer on our two online quick courses, The ABTs of Branding™ and The ABTs of Selling™.

Story on, my friend.

≈Park

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Paul Scanlan & Jeff Annison

#349: Crowdfunded Storytelling: Becoming a Big or Small Movie Mogul

#349: Crowdfunded Storytelling: Becoming a Big or Small Movie Mogul

Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way to raise funds for specific causes. But how do you execute an effective crowdfunding campaign that inspires, engages and attracts support organically?

It all lies in crafting a powerful story for your campaign that can move people to action and get your investors excited to be a part of your project.

With a first-of-its-kind production company built from the ground up to be owned by fans, serial entrepreneurs Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan, co-founder of Legion M know a thing or two about how to use their community as their superpower.

The duo formed the company in 2016 with the purpose of allowing fans to invest in and be part of the creation of entertainment from movies, television shows, virtual reality and now, Broadway plays. For $100, people are able to buy shares of the company – giving them the opportunity to add notes to the story, details for characters, provide props used in the projects – resulting in a built-in fan base for original IP guaranteed to bring in an audience upon release.

Legion M is revolutionizing the way entertainment is made in Hollywood by uniting a growing fan community of 130,000+ members with nearly 30k investors who have both equity and emotional stakes in the outcomes of the pictures they make. Projects in “various stages of development,” include the epic fantasy, The Emperor’s Blades; comic book and feature film Girl With No Name, and documentary Memory: The Origins of Alien. 

Their work also includes multiple original television series including Evermor, Airship Cowboys, and Malice; as well as interactive and VR-based projects, like ICONS: Face to Face, starring the late Stan Lee of Marvel Comic fame and Kevin Smith. Legion M also invests in partner productions, including Kevin Smith’s feature film Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, as well as the critically acclaimed Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. (more…)

John Livesay

#348: The Sale Is in the Tale: 5 Storytelling Secrets

#348: The Sale Is in the Tale: 5 Storytelling Secrets

We all know when it comes to sales, you need to build rapport and build it fast to win over your customers’ trust. But your message is being lost in the sea of clutter because you’re pushing out facts that nobody remembers, leaving your sales pitches to fall flat and easily forgettable.

Known as the Pitch Whisperer, John Livesay shares in his new book, The Sale Is in the Tale, his five storytelling secrets to keep your sales from drowning in a sea of sameness. John is a keynote speaker who shows sales teams how to turn mundane case studies into compelling case stories so they win more new business. 

From his award-winning career at Conde Nast, he shares the lessons he learned that turns sales teams into revenue rock stars. His TEDx talk: Be The Lifeguard of Your Own Life has over 1,000,000 views. John is also a guest lecturer on how to leverage the power of storytelling in sales at multiple universities including the University of Texas at Austin, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, and University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his book is now required reading for the UTLA (the University of Texas in LA) course on Entertainment and Media studies.

He is the host of  The Successful Pitch podcast, which is heard in over 60 countries. He has been interviewed by Larry King and appeared on TV as an expert on the power of storytelling as a sales tool. John currently lives in Austin with Pepe, his King Charles Spaniel, who reminds him every day of the importance of belly rubs. (more…)

Paula White

#347: How to Connect With Your Authentic Story Through Music

#347: How to Connect With Your Authentic Story Through Music

Most leaders believe those practical, hard skills that conform to a job description will take themselves and their people to the next level.

But soft skills are where it’s at. Your ability to reconnect with your authentic self will help you deeply connect with that colleague or customer sitting across from you. Plus, you will find a better fit with your interests and talents to grow your career.

Paula White shares how you can change your leadership soundtrack to work for you and how to uncover and develop your Side B tracks in her new book, The B Side: Remix Your Leadership Style. Paula has an unwavering passion for music that she applies to open new perspectives and possibilities for leaders. She is a globally recognized sales expert who has leveraged her talents to scale Inside Sales Teams into multi-million stand-alone sales channels. Helping organizations achieve 8% – 10% yearly compounded growth, demonstrating success in a wide variety of industries to include travel and tourism, investments, veterinary and healthcare distribution. 

Paula has served as a member of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals Advisory Board and was previously honored as a Top 25 Most Influential Sales Leader recipient for three consecutive years by the organization. Impressively being recognized as the award winner of Excellence in Execution in 2017. (more…)

Park Howell

#346: The ABT’s of Branding: How to Romance Your Customer with Your Story

#346: The ABT’s of Branding™: How to Romance Your Customer with Your Story

You have an important brand story to tell and if you are compelling with your prospects then you can convert them to life-long customers. 

But you’re not connecting like you could because your brand narrative is muddled.

The Narrative Gym series now includes four books covering science, business, law and politics. All are available om Amazon.

Therefore, on this special Valentine’s Day edition of the Business of Story, I’m excited to gift you with the launch of my new ABT’s of Branding™ online course.

The ABT (And, But, Therefore) is the foundational narrative framework introduced to me by my good friend, Dr. Randy Olson back in 2013.

I’ve learned that the ABT is where ALL compelling business communications begin: from inspiring leadership presentations to compelling sales pitches to marvelous marketing messages to building camaraderie among your colleagues.

But it all starts with crafting an irresistible brand narrative that places your customer at the center of your story. The quick course is this:

1. Who is your customer, what do they want AND why is it important to them?
2. BUT why don’t they have it?
3. THEREFORE, how are you uniquely equipped, better than anyone else, to help them get what they want through your product or service offering?

The power of the ABT comes in its use of the three forces of story: agreement, contradiction and consequence. Our cause-and-effect, pattern-seeking limbic brain  – where all of our buying decisions are actually made – loves this story form of setup, problem, resolution.

Today, I’ll walk you through all of my 3 storytelling frameworks and how to use the five primal elements of a short story for big impact to turn your prospects into life-long, brand-loving customers. I’ll also be sharing with you how you can take advantage of my ABT’s of Branding online course for free.

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Carla Johnson

#345: Storytelling and the 5-Step Perpetual Innovation Process

#345: Storytelling and the 5-Step Perpetual Innovation Process

Bad stories kill great ideas. If you aren’t able to tell the story of your magnificent idea, then it isn’t going to go anywhere. But we often throw cold water on them because we think we’re not up to the task, it’s too complicated, that we’re not good enough. 

So how do you ignite innovation that captivates and transports your audience from what is today to the possibilities of what could be?

It’s actually through a simple 5-step framework that anyone can follow which Carla Johnson demonstrates in her new book, RE:Think Innovation: How the World’s Most Prolific Innovators Come Up with Great Ideas that Deliver Extraordinary Outcomes. Carla is a world-renowned storyteller, an entertaining speaker, and a prolific author. Having lived, worked, and keynoted on five continents, she’s partnered with top brands and conferences to train thousands of people how to rethink the work that they do and the impact they can have. Her visionary expertise has inspired and equipped leaders at all levels to embrace change, welcome new ideas, and transform their business.

Her work with Fortune 500 brands served as the foundation for many of her books. Her tenth, RE:Think Innovation, busts the myth that innovation is something that requires a specific degree or special training. In fact, Carla explains why, to be a successful company in today’s hyper-competitive, customer-driven world, finding opportunities through innovative thinking must be everyone’s business. Her goal is to teach one million people how to become innovative thinkers by 2025. Consistently names one of the top influencers in her field, Carla regularly challenges conventional thinking.

Today, she travels the world teaching anyone (and everyone) how to cultivate idea-driven teams that identify undetected opportunities that lead to extraordinary outcomes. (more…)

Jocelyn Brady

#344: How to Tap Into the Innate Power of Your Brain Stories

#344: How to Tap Into the Innate Power of Your Brain Stories

The stories we tell each other and ourselves influence everything. Whether it’s presenting to your customer on how your business will help them, pitching your startup to a potential investor or being able to inspire your team to make big changes.

But it’s the personal narratives you are telling yourself, the stories your brain comes up with that are holding you back from creating the reality you want.

My guest today will teach you how to flip the script in your BS (brain stories) and tap into the full potential of that brain magic. Jocelyn Brady is a writer, edutainer and professional brain jostler who thrives at the intersection of comedy, storytelling and unraveling the mysteries of the human brain. When she’s not being the Bill Nye of the brain (as the creator and host of Tiny Tips for Your Brain on YouTube), Jocelyn applies her certified Brain Coaching chops to help creative visionaries tap their brains’ greatest potential.

In her past life as an award-winning copywriter, Creative Director and agency CEO-Jocelyn led narrative strategy and international storytelling training for some of the world’s biggest brands. She also produced and co-hosted Party Time, a standup comedy and storytelling show featuring talent who went on to write or perform for Conan, Colbert and Comedy Central. All while managing to keep her two cats and houseplants alive.

Jocelyn’s first book, tentatively titled Your Brain is a Magical Asshat, is slated for publication next year.

Tune in to learn how you can turn your brain stories into gold using Jocelyn’s 5 part S-T-O-R-Y framework using the acronym of STORY as your guide. We’ll also explore the importance of play in your work and storytelling and why she considers the brain that magical asshat and how you can put that asshat to work for you. 

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Michele Rosenthal

#343: 9 Steps to Rewiring a More Potent Story

#343: 9 Steps to Rewiring a More Potent Story

Overcoming trauma can be immensely dark. It can suck the life out of you and keep you stuck in a negative place of hate, unworthiness and self-destructiveness.

But how do you use your trauma to heal and take back control of your life? What would you do if the rug was completely pulled out from underneath you and the once great world you were living in completely fell apart? Would you choose to turn towards the light or remain stuck in fear?

Trauma survivor Michele Rosenthal suffered a horrific ordeal at just the age of thirteen which was supposed to be a routine antibiotic to treat a routine infection but her world soon turned into chaos when she experienced an undiscovered allergy to the medication leaving her as a full-body burn victim. She had a near-death experience that rocked her to the core.

Having struggled with PTSD for almost thirty years, she affectionately calls her recovery process a “healing rampage.” It worked. Michele achieved 100% recovery. Almost fifteen years later she remains symptom-free and dedicates her career to creating customized concierge trauma recovery programs for mid-life professionals who want to end habits of fear, grief, guilt, shame, loss, sadness, anger, sleep disturbance, stress, or identity loss – and instead experience emotional control, confidence, and calm.

Michelle is also an award-nominated author, poet, and former playwright, who started a blog about her recovery from a major trauma she experienced in her youth. She is a Board Certified Hypnotist, Certified Professional Coach and Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. She has an award-winning educational PTSD website that continues to tell the story (and offered space for other survivors to tell theirs) and went on to write an award-nominated memoir that tells my entire survivor (and recovery) story from beginning to end. (more…)

Robert Tighe

#342: Is Your Origin Story Working for You?

#342: Is Your Origin Story Working for You?

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” Steve Jobs.

As business leaders, we constantly have our blinders focused on tomorrow.

But if you can take time out and reflect on your past experiences, you will find the scenes that shape your authentic origin story that inform your future. 

So what is your backstory? How do you use it to grab the attention of your audience and build that trust and likeability for your brand?

Meet the origin story guy, Robert Tighe, CEO and founder of, well, Origin Stories. Robert has been working with words for 20 years, initially as an award-winning journalist and more recently as a copywriter, storytelling consultant and number-one bestselling ghostwriter. 

Previously he was the New Zealand Country Editor for The Red Bulletin, an adventure lifestyle magazine published by Red Bull, before he started his own company to help businesses tell better stories. He works with founders, owners, entrepreneurs, business leaders and consultants to find and tell their Origin Stories and share them with the world. Telling better stories enables leaders to clarify their purpose so they can communicate with confidence, connect with stakeholders and lead with purpose. (more…)

Doug Passon

#341: How to Persuade a Judge and Jury Using the ABT

#341: How to Persuade a Judge and Jury Using the ABT

Whether you’re a lawyer or not, you need to be a persuasive advocate for what you’re selling.

Metaphorically, all of our audiences are judges and juries considering the merits of how we see the world and what we’re selling within it with your communications.

But if we confuse them with our communications, we lose them as advocates for our cause. This is especially true in the courtroom. 

I’m excited to announce the third book in our Narrative Gym series co-authored by today’s guest, Scottsdale, AZ, criminal defense attorney Doug Passon. Dr. Randy Olson wrote the first Narrative Gym in the spring of 2020 as an ABT framework guide for the scientific community. Randy and I wrote The Narrative Gym for Business published this past September focused on brand, sales and marketing leaders.

Doug has been using storytelling to great effect in the legal world. His approach to sentencing mitigation videos – short docudramas that reveal the true character of a convict who deserves leniency – was even featured on The Simpsons.  Today we explore how you can use the power of the ABT to tell your story in a simple and analytical way as demonstrated in The Narrative Gym for Law: Introducing the ABT Framework for Persuasive Advocacy.

Doug is also a writer, musician and award-winning documentary filmmaker who combines his passion for filmmaking and storytelling with his practice of law by producing short documentaries for use as mitigation at criminal sentencing and post-conviction proceedings. 

He is an internationally recognized expert in the field of sentencing advocacy and is described by the Wall Street Journal as a pioneer in the emerging field of sentencing mitigation videos. Even Lisa Simpson took note of Doug’s work to get Homer off a grand theft auto charge.  (more…)