Go beyond the basics of news reporting
These questions are journalistic tools that can help us find stories — or condemn us to a lifetime of cranking out just-the-facts-ma’am pieces.
To do more of the former and less of the latter, shift focus. When you’re interviewing for story, Richard Zahler of The Seattle Times suggests, reframe the five W’s. Let:
- Who become character
- What become plot
- When become chronology
- Where become setting
- Why become motivation
Using this approach, “what,” for example, is transformed into questions like:
- “What happened next?”
- “What were you thinking when …?”
- “What made you say that?”
Those questions can lead beyond just the facts to fascinating anecdotes.
How can you tell better business stories?
Stories are so effective that Og Mandino, the late author of the bestselling The Greatest Salesman in the World, says, “If you have a point, find a story.”
If you want to learn to find, develop and write stories that engage readers’ hearts and minds, bring Ann in to present Master the Art of Storytelling, a business-storytelling workshop — to your team.There, they’ll learn how to find the aha! moment that’s the gateway to every anecdote. How to start an anecdote with a bang — instead of a whimper. And how to use “the most powerful form of human communication” to grab attention, boost credibility, make messages more memorable and communicate better.
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