Welcome to the forty-seventh edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'.
A newsletter recommending good examples of storytelling across:
Let's dive in.
Humans are wired to look for that shiny new thing - the belief that 'new = latest = better' is ingrained into our minds.
David has compiled a great collection of quotes on the need to avoid this tendency.
This is fascinating. Trust the Greeks to have thought of the lovely distinction between two words that both mean time ('chronos' and 'kairos'). In simple terms:
Chronos: Time kya hai; Kairos: Apna time aayega.
I'd recommend that you read the whole thread to get the entire context.
For others it's the moolah, for some, it's the dough, for a few, it's cash... 😂😂
a. 'A Few Words About Netflix’s Success: Vivid. Snappy. Tags.' by John Koblin
When you browse Netflix, you may have come across a set of 3-word snappy adjectives below the movie/series poster, as vividly shown by Karthik Srinivasan in his post.
Those 3 words are worth their weight in gold.
This feature seems to be unique to Netflix:
And given our falling attention spans...
... it seems to be critical to viewer engagement:
b. 'Stop serving the compliment sandwich' by Adam Grant
We all do this - when we want to give 'constructive feedback' to someone, we start with a compliment, then insert the 'bad news', and then end with something nice again (a.k.a. 'The Compliment Sandwich').
Adam Grant says that this technique is ineffective because of two issues
What should be done instead? Adam lists several ideas, but two struck me.
1. Ask if the person actually wants feedback:
2. Make it a curiosity conversation and be open to the idea that you are also culpable.
In the spirit of David Perell's suggestion above, I am going for a podcast that released - not this week, this month, year, or decade, but way back in 2009 - a classic from the house of Radiolab.
Radiolab is the epitome of audio storytelling. The way they edit conversations, use multiple voices, weave in music (uff) - the end result for the listener is sheer magic.
Mostly when I'm listening to podcasts, I'd be doing something else, like walking, doing chores, or driving and my attention would be divided. But if it's a Radiolab podcast, I get so immersed in their world that I lose track of whatever else I'm doing.
Numbers hide stories. And this podcast is a beautiful exploration of some of the stories that numbers can tell.
I love the easy camaraderie and back-and-forth between the two hosts, Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad.
Here's a funny exchange from the episode (notice the short sentences and how none of them hogs the mic for too long):
That's all from this week's edition.
Ravi
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A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
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