Durable storytelling

Something happened last month for the first time in recorded human history. And it splashed across the pages of news outlets from Vienna, Austria, to Sydney, Australia. Likened to the first man on the moon, Eliud Kipchoge “smashed the two-hour marathon barrier.” 

 I can’t resist a tale that includes an epic challenge, unsurpassed human achievement – and running ??. So, I was all in. 

 Kipchoge took us on a journey to the pinnacle of human performance. And along the way we saw examples of storytelling at its best as well, from the first attempt in 2017 to the ultimate victory in October 2019.  

 Recently I posted an article on LinkedIn about how we, as professional communicators, can thrive in the next age of communications, in which disinformation makes it harder for people to sort fact from fiction, stories are more temporal, and in some cases bad actors deliberately alter content to deceive us. One of the most important things we can do is nurture our skills in the basic art and craft of storytelling. Think of it as “durable storytelling.”  

 Durable stories last. They can get passed around and bounced around and yet remain largely intact. They’re not 100% unbreakable. But they’re more resistant to tampering. So, what are some of the traits of durable storytelling? 

 Built to last 

 Durable stories follow a time-tested structure that gives them staying power. Kipchoge’s sub two-hour marathon quest had all the makings. A main character (Kipchoge) with a clear goal to overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle (the sub two-hour marathon). Allied characters (shoe makers, scientists, pace runners) supporting him in his quest. A new normal reached (human beats “unbreakable” barrier), resetting the bar on what is possible. 

 Nike, the global footwear brand, played a big part in Kipchoge’s quest as well as the storytelling around it. Over the course of years, they developed Kipchoge’s shoes, planned out the sub two-hour marathon, and worked with media outlets like Wired to bring the story to life, keeping the focus on what they were attempting to achieve, versus the product (i.e. shoes). Yes, there was drama afterwards. Did the shoes give Kipchoge an unfair advantage? Did the pacers help by breaking the wind? But what great story doesn’t contain tension? 

 We remember stories that follow this structure. We repeat them to friends. They stick. 

 Built around people 

 Durable stories put people at the center. I work at a technology company. But stories that get read, stories that get shared and drive action, stories we aspire to tell, aren’t about technology. They’re about people, the people behind the scenes who make our products and technologies. And the people whose lives are made better in some way by the things we make, the things our customers and partners make. Stories with people at the center help to explain not just what you’re doing but WHY it matters. 

 This story about the fight against global hunger is a great example. We’re working with Welthungerhilfe, a nonprofit based in Bonn, Germany, to help them develop a cloud-based, smartphone app that can scan children and instantly detect malnutrition, which impacts about 800 million people globally. Our technology is certainly an essential part of the solution. But it only matters to the extent that it can help bring global hunger to a quicker end. The “why” matters. 

Speaking of putting people at the center. What is a selfie if not a people-centered picture that tells a story about someone you were with, a place you visited, or an experience you had. Politics aside, an example that grabbed my attention recently is the Elizabeth Warren campaign selfie phenomenon. They’ve elevated the selfie to an art form. Warren stays for hours after her rallies to take selfies with supporters – sometimes numbering in the thousands. One. At. A. Time. And what do her supporters do with the images? They share them across their social networks. Each one is a little self-contained story carrying the narrative about how Warren cares about her constituents. It’s become a highly effective campaign strategy. I first heard about it on The New York Times’ The Daily podcast, and later other outlets, from TIME, to Forbes, to USA Today. The value of this kind of organic, personalized, shareable content (some would say advertising) is almost beyond calculation. 

 Built with purpose 

 Durable stories align with a sense of purpose, your own as well as the brands you represent. They explain who you are and what you believe. They reflect your values and aspirations. It’s not enough, however, to simply say what you believe. To be durable, stories have to SHOW the actions behind your words, or they are empty and will eventually collapse. 

 At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. That is reflected in the stories we tell, and the ones others tell about us, in many ways. One that I’m most proud of is the work we do to make technology more accessible. A great example is our Xbox Adaptive Controller. The work started with a grassroots effort by some of our employees to create a game controller for a military veteran who was an amputee. Their passion for helping people eventually led to a commercial product designed to help make gaming more accessible to everyone.  

When you align your storytelling with your purpose, the stories are more powerful and impactful. But they’re also stronger because they contain a core truth about your values. 

Built simply 

Durable stories simplify complex topics and ideas. In today’s noisy environment, when people are bombarded with signals and attention spans are short, stories that bring clarity in simple ways are more helpful and also more iron-clad as they travel. As storytellers, we have to get better at explaining things in simpler, more accessible ways. At Microsoft, one of my favorite storytelling mediums is what we call “Explanimators.” It’s an animated video series that explains complicated tech topics like quantum computing or blockchain so anyone can understand it. It’s also a self-contained narrative. So, if it gets shared around (and we hope it does ??), it doesn’t change as it travels. 

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=cFVGBxYiBFo&feature=emb_title  

 Images are another way of telling a story concisely in a self-contained way. The one below, taken more than five years ago, tells the story of our CEO succession at Microsoft and also packs in a great deal of emotion around the moment. It can stand on its own with very little additional context. Images that contain their own context are less apt to be misunderstood or subverted in some way as they travel. There are many great tips on creating digital images and other digital storytelling techniques in this online handbook our Microsoft Stories team published recently. 

 Durable stories aren’t completely invulnerable in the age of disinformation. But they tend to stand the test of ages with fewer dings. They’re more memorable. And they stay more intact.  

 After Kipchoge broke the two-hour marathon barrier, he said, “I wanted to run under two hours and show human beings can do a good job and lead a good life. It shows the positivity of sport. I want to make the sport an interesting sport whereby all the human beings can run and together we can make this world a beautiful world.” 

 That is really the opportunity we have as storytellers – to show the positivity of what our organizations do, why they exist in the world, and the ways we can all make the world a little better. That should be the aspiration of storytellers in any age. 

 fxs