(Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser or load remote content)    Read Time: 5.0 minutes.    The art exists purely in the arrangement of words.  — Philip Gerard    What’s the Tip? You can find out what writing framework is aligned with your taste or style by running your favorite document or piece of text through ChatGPT. Once you know what framework best suits you, you can start applying it in your own content creation. How Do You Use It? For example, you could type this prompt: I love the ((Declaration of Independence)). Please tell me wha ..read more

(Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser or load remote content)    Read Time: 5.0 minutes.    Stories of ingenuity in the face of a constraint are all around us. When we come across them, we enjoy the small triumphs of the human spirit that they represent.   — Adam Morgan and Mark Barden | Authors of A Beautiful Constraint   What’s the Tip? Do what you can with what you have. That's the tip. And more often than not, this tip is all you need to make progress. There are a number of examples in this blogpost that will inspire you to view and use const ..read more

(Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser or load remote content)    Read Time: 4.0 minutes    “My opinion is that most hiring decisions are made in the first minute,” which includes your greeting, handshake, eye contact, and the first thing you say, which may very well be your response to, “tell me about yourself.”   — Steven Davis | Job Search Strategist and Interview Coach   What’s the Tip? It's very possible that an interviewer may make their decision about whether or not to move you forward in the hiring process within the first minute of speaki ..read more

(Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser or load remote content)    Read Time: 4.0 minutes    Use struggle strategically. You use struggle to create common ground where your customer thinks, “Yeah, I’ve been there…” They’re nodding yes, instead of nodding off.   —  Douglass and Lisa-Marie Hatcher, "Win With Decency"         What’s the Tip? One business storytelling tip that many people may not be aware of is the power of vulnerability. While storytelling often involves presenting a polished and confident image, incorpor ..read more

(Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser or load remote content)    Read Time: 4.0 minutes    Making the extra effort to say thanks in a genuine, personal manner  goes a long way.   —  Sir Richard Branson       What’s the Tip? Today's tip is to practice gratitude. It's a particularly fitting tip to share on Memorial Day as Americans express deep gratitude for the fallen who made the ultimate sacrifice. Gratitude has been on our minds much of this past week as it's one of the five human qualities we highlight in our ..read more

  (Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser)    Read Time: 3.0 minutes    I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs. —  Stephen King       What’s the Tip? Today's tip is the simplest we've ever shared. But it's also one of the most powerful. The tip is this: replace adverbs with data. It comes courtesy of a former Amazon employee turned entrepreneur, Danny Sheridan.    How Do You Use It? Danny Sheridan mentions this idea of replacing adverbs with data on his Substack blog entitle ..read more

  Storytelling: The Missing Tool in Your Customer Experience (CX) Toolkit   (Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser)    Read Time: 6.0 minutes    We see our customers as guests to a party and we are the hosts. —  Jeff Bezos | Amazon Founder       What’s the Tip? Engaging your customers online isn’t easy. They'll leave your site if it takes too long to load. They’ll leave if your text is too hard to read. They’ll leave if you’ve got annoying pop ups. But they’ll also leave if your content doesn’t connect, isn’t rel ..read more

  You Can Create the Best Avatar in the World, But It's Pointless if You Don't Do This   (Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser)    Read Time: 6.0 minutes   No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.  —  Daniel Kahneman      What’s the Tip? You can create the best, most-researched buyer persona or avatar in the world and still miss the mark by targeting the wrong part of their brain. The secret to cutting through is to craft messages that target your customer’s primal brain. But too ..read more

  (Trouble viewing images? Click view in web browser)    "I think that no matter how old or infirmed I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feelings of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature's rebirth?"  — Edward Giobbi   Hello friends, The kids are home from school this week, and we're taking some time to enjoy Spring break and the Easter holiday. We'll be back next week with our regular issue of StoryDirect, and your weekly business storytelling tip. In the meantime, we hope that you, too, will ta ..read more

Read Time: 5.0 minutes   The majority of the copy in any ad or marketing piece should be written in the second person. For example, do you prefer copy that says, “Through our first-rate sales department, we can deliver cars within 24-hours” or “You can drive your new car tomorrow”?   — Susan Gunelius      What’s the Tip? There's one word that, when used correctly, can amplify the impact of your messaging and dramatically improve your results when it comes to business storytelling. That word is the second person pronoun "you." In this issue, we'll de ..read more