How can you generate and organize your stories?

Storytelling is also an incredible everyday negotiation tool. Stories are relatable, de-escalating, hard to argue with, and easier to remember in tense moments than data. It's tough to change someone's mind, but you might be able to tell them a story that gets them to change their own mind.

Storytelling, in my opinion, isn't just a way of writing. It's a form of art. It's a form of conveying messages, connecting with others, creating immersive experiences. Design thinking is sort of like a multi-tool that helps us solve problems through empathy and creativity. When you combine these two, they enhance problem-solving processes by incorporating narratives that: - Empathize with others, - Communicate ideas, - Document progress, - Gain buy-in, - Facilitate iterative learning, All while making complex problems more relatable and innovative solutions more persuasive. I like to call these two combined: The Art of Community - because you're building on problem solving, emotion, and relativity. Staying authentic is key.

Generating an idea takes a lot of thought process. Look around for inspiration or reflect on your own life events for that. Once you have finalized the idea, it's time to organize the story - start by making a strong hook to grab attention, followed by relevant main content. End with a good Call to Action (CTA) and a conclusion that leaves a positive impression. Structure your story in this script-centric way, i.e., hook the audience, deliver engaging content, and finish with a clear CTA to ensure your story flows smoothly and engages the audience from start to finish.

Work with a partner that prompts you to brainstorm to generate as many ideas as possible. Capture all of it without judgement. 5 minutes at a time. Come back to the exercise 3 times. Then look at the entire inventory of thinking you generated. And step back. You’ll see themes emerge. Best tool: post its.

For me, you can combine the both. Approaching storytelling as an inclusive communication method, opens up the potential to use it more regularly. Always keep the core principals - or layers as I call them in my storytelling model (the sprout model) - this will guide your story. Be sure to know the impact you want to make, the people that you are telling the story to, set starting context and direction, move into the main event and what in particular it is you are addressing, then bring clarity, conclusion and a lasting impression to the end point ... not forgetting to nurture the story with creativity, energy and perspective.

When I'm developing a new story, I often spend weeks gathering as many ideas as possible in my notes app, as I feel inspired, before sitting down to hone my story. Similarly, in design thinking, the process of divergent and convergent thinking is the act of generating ideas and gathering many materials before filtering and deciding which pieces you will use in your work.

The idea is the main base of your story, no wonder it’s super important to ensure your idea has the best chances to work. Simplest way to get ideas that are interesting yet would resonate with the audience is by observing things around you! Best ideas stem from your surroundings. They are relatable, can be a base for intriguing analogies or maybe even out of the box. Though one thing you should ensure is that you note down all ideas at one place. A mini diary works the best! Sometimes you can even use a mix of ideas for your story.

The best way I've found to brainstorm story ideas is to start with a brain dump of all stories related to a specific topic. Write a "title" for each story on a notecard and organize them under that topic. I put all the topics and stories up on a foam board/creative board. You could do the same process with sticky notes and a white board - or even a wall. As you assess your topics and stories visually, you begin to see how to build your chapters based on flow, logic, and chronology.

By seeking inspiration from the things around us! In the grand scheme of things, everything is correlated. So while solving a problem with storytelling, we can take inspiration from parallel problems and of course the correlated stories. Brainstorming is indeed yet another powerful way to generate stories. Personal experiences also play an important role in creating stories and generating ideas. For example, many first time parents have created products catering towards first time parents - toxic free baby grooming solutions! Just observe and be curious about surroundings. Ideas will come!

When you write a story that readers can identify themselves from their everyday life then you get them hooked. Storytelling should be based on life experiences like what bothers you or what really pulls your happy strings. It is also about sharing and it can very therapeutic when you pour out your stress and let your readers understand it. But storytelling should also be to light up people lives, take them on a joyful journey or just put a smile on their faces. The first inspiration is yourself on what you see around you and how you feel when you interact with people closer to you. The second inspiration is to entertain people from the words that come out straight from your heart. The third is to inform them about what’s happening.

Every storyteller's process looks different. For me, I start with writing the beginning and end of my story and develop a loose outline for the middle. From there, I try different approaches to what the bulk of my story will look like, the tone, the details, the moments for laughter or a dramatic pause. Because I already know how my story starts and ends, I feel comfortable playing around and brainstorming the journey to get there, in order to get the best possible final draft of my story.

Use one structure and stick to it, practice it and keep repeating it. I propose my unique storytelling model.... THE SPROUT MODEL, which you can find in my bestselling book, 28 Bags of Sprouts - Storytelling With Impact. Made up of 6 layers (and 28 ingredients) .. follow them and your impact will improve significantly. In summary the 6 Layers are: 1. Impact - Define the impact that you wish your storytelling to make. 2. People - Know who you are storytelling to. 3. Start Point - Set the scene, introduce the context. 4. Main Event - showcase the event and the action. 5. End Point - Bring clarity and closure. 6. Nurture - Bring creativity and energy throughout your storytelling Give it a go ...

I keep it simple. I type out my ideas on the fly in Apple Notes, organized in folders and subfolders. This way, when I want to post on LinkedIn, for example, I open the LinkedIn post, and voila, I have a post The hack here is to write from abundance.

Organizing stories with storytelling and design thinking is akin to architecting a masterpiece. Design thinking encourages you to structure your narratives with intention, identifying key touchpoints and crafting a journey that guides your audience towards a desired outcome. Each element of your story, from characters to plot twists, is meticulously designed to elicit specific emotions and provoke thought. It's about weaving a cohesive narrative tapestry that keeps your audience spellbound from beginning to end.

Visualize your story. Whether that's through sticky notes on a wall, notecards on the floor, or in an AppleNotes document. The process should be personalized for however the author best processes information. Think through all the topics you want to cover. Write each one on a separate card/note. Then, think through all the stories and examples you can use and write each one of those on a separate card/note. Group the stories under each topic. Assess a logical narrative flow to develop an outline. I also believe that outlines are guardrails, not lines on a highway. In other words, they're meant to guide you down a logical and engaging path, but there is a bit of wiggle room as you work through it to allow the story to tell itself.

Hooks make or break your story! And that doesn't mean that you concentrate holy on your hook and the body of your story is not matching up. That's the worst mistake you can make. A hook is like a trailer for movie. It should not tell about the whole movie but give an give an interesting overview. So that the audience has something to look forward to. But always match the rest of the story with a hook, don't disappoint the reader by using click baits! Also the medium depends frankly. On what the story is about to choose an effective medium to deliver it. If it's a personal story then a video will be a great option. If it's an interesting anecdote a carousel can speak to your audience. Try ending with a P.S. or question!

There are multiple environments and ways to deliver your storytelling. In-person, virtual, written, audio, visualisation .. the list can go on. Whichever it is, just ensure that you are factoring this into how you are communicating it. In-Person allows you to use the physical environment, and physical self more so that if it is in a virtual scenario. Consider this in your preparation - and make the most of it.

Use the power of visuals. A picture is worth a thousand words. Use visuals to complement your stories. Whether it’s a relevant photo, a short video, or an infographic, visuals can bring your narrative to life and captivate your audience. Photos, videos, and infographics can make your stories more engaging and memorable.

Delivering stories is not just about words; it's about creating immersive experiences that transport your audience into the heart of your narrative. Utilize design thinking principles to choose the most effective mediums and channels for your story, ensuring maximum impact and engagement. Whether it's through captivating visuals, interactive experiences, or live performances, every aspect of your delivery is carefully curated to enhance the storytelling experience, leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

The more you can connect your delivery to your reader's everyday lives, the better. I've found that ending with questions that provoke thought and even challenge the reader to take action help the reader see themselves in your narrative. It also prompts actual change within the minds and lives of readers - evidence that they're taking steps to improve themselves.

I work in a visual medium. So using a tele-script format enables me to place visuals alongside my copy. To simplify it; Build two columns one for copy or dialogue, the other (descriptive) for how you visualize or see the story playing out.

Just taking advantage of a burst of writing motivation is key, for my style of writing and I know this works for some others. By taking advantage of, I mean writing down anything as quickly as possible with whatever is in front of you: phone, computer, paper, bad napkin, etc. Afterwards you can look at all the drafts and quick ideas and one liners, and sort and organize them into different buckets. I've had stories emerge from several different creative threads and merge into one much better tale using this method - which sprung from when I co-wrote an astronomy coffee table book. We used a more formal method to brainstorm as a group for book sections and layouts, using whiteboards and sticky notes. Works solo as well as in groups!

While storytelling and design thinking provide a robust framework for crafting compelling narratives, there are other crucial elements to consider. Authenticity is paramount – ensure that your stories are grounded in truth and resonate with genuine emotion. Adaptability is key – be prepared to iterate and refine your stories based on feedback and evolving audience needs. And above all, never underestimate the power of storytelling to drive meaningful change and inspire a brighter future.

I'd like to add that in order to be a successful writer, you don't have to be Hemingway or Steinbeck. All you have to do is offer a unique solution to a problem your audience has. To do that, you have to know your audience. Your audience should be in mind with every word you write. What keeps them up at night should keep you up at night. Get in their heads by listening to them. Follow them on social media. Connect with them. Call them. LISTEN to them. Once you know what they need and want - give it to them.

Outlining a story can do wonders. A writer will not forget any essential element to begin with. Moreover, your flow will remain intact. You don't have to write the story in a single go. Go one headlight at a time.