Recently, I video interviewed a young, intelligent online education business owner in New York City, who introduced herself as Chief Storyteller for GoStrengths. There was no hesitation when I asked Renee Jain what I’d get if I opted into GoStrengths. This short video clip is a small part of my interview with her, but will give you an idea of what company storytellers can do. According to Jain, “ Storytelling products often lends a lot more credibility than straight PR.”

The other day my wife was watching a documentary about the Civil War. I had no intention of watching, but I couldn’t leave. The documentary story line was taken verbatim from the journal of a young woman, who had chronicled the Battle of Gettysburg as it was fought around her home. She was caught in the midst of cannonballs whirring overhead, soldiers on both sides dying in scores, and the overwhelming aftermath of bodies and lost limbs. The still images didn’t tell the story, but the words of this young woman experiencing it did — I was hooked — it was so compelling I watched and listened to the end.

Augmenting MY Reality

I was really bummed when the NASA Shuttles were mothballed, and the loss of Sally Ride, first American woman in space — more here, and then Neil Armstrong, moon walker and moon photographer, were more reminders of life’s journeys and endings. But, oh that Mars Rover got me wide-eyed again! Wouldn’t you like to drive one of those? Well, you can get a small slice of that experience with the Spacecraft 3D app. I think it’s a lot safer than cars that drive themselves — for now — but there’s more reality in that story, too.

Interestingly, since that 1969 lunar landing, I’ve gone from reading newspapers to using a tablet for gathering and curating my news. I’m not sure that I’m getting the same passionate storytelling online as I did holding the old-dirty print in my hands. It seems that speed is more the object, and today, many consider reading to be listening to audible books during a commute. To me, that’s more like listening to radio, but in any event, the story has to be captivating to hold us beyond our gnat-like attention span — or from falling asleep. If you’ve ever attended a PowerPoint-pushing webinar, you’ve experienced the latter. Whatever the vehicle, if it doesn’t deliver, we don’t read, listen or watch. It has become more difficult to hold and keep audiences.

Storytelling is different, but just as important today. We may not be saving amazing newspaper stories for forty years, other than as the lining of old wooden chests, but you can’t automate first-person accounts that make us feel that we are there.

There’s nothing wrong with press releases. They serve of quick-serve purpose. I read them, because I have to, and at times because I want to, but they may not be the most compelling way for a company to really share a product or new solution. There’s never a direct, unscrubbed, unpolished quote in them. I’m wondering if you don’t read, delete them before reading, see them in their entirety at various blogs and websites, or even recognize them as part of a post by a journalist. Well-crafted releases can keep a constant flow of words — out there — but I’m thinking the passion, or chance for a real storytelling experience may be lost. Sometimes I don’t even know what the product is after reading a press release, and need to decipher that by reading the “more info about the company” paragraph at the bottom.

Lately, I’ve been noticing some interesting job listings on LinkedIn, and other places, for companies looking for corporate storytellers. I find that fascinating; a company hiring a communications person to help gather, write and tell stories within the corporation, as well as outside. Corporate storytellers may be a good way to help share real stories to compete with the contrived ones — or the fairy tales out there. There has to be someone in a corporation who can do that — right?

Someone sent me an image of a single whiteboard, standing straight up, in a school dumpster, expecting me to get crazy about it. I wrote back that if I were throwing something like that away, I’d lay it flat, because it would be easier to pile more stuff on top. What’s the real story? Was it a set up? Was it completely unrepairable, or so old that even spiders would weave webs on it anymore? And one tossed whiteboard doesn’t make a real story or statement for me. It’s too easy to make up stuff and get away with it today. If the photographer really wanted to have some fun, learning a little photo editing could have put dozens of them in the dumpster. For me, getting to the heart of the real story is where we need to be. It’s too easy to jump at impossible and erroneous conclusions. Where’s your corporate storyteller?

I really like what Ford is doing at FordSocial with a great customer campaign, which uses personal stories, innovative suggestions, social media, and video. Grabbing a badge is just icing on the social media cake. I think variations of this idea could be used more, or better, in the education marketplace. I haven’t owned a Ford in years, but enjoyed looking at their online approaches for involving customers in developing new ideas. It seems cars have become some of our largest, mobile computing devices.

A while back, someone at Asus sent me a personal e-mail about their Google/Android Nexus 7.  I researched it and wrote about it here. After writing the post, I received a form-like press release about it. The e-mail was what moved me to look further and write. The release looked like so many others — only the products and specs for the Nexus 7 had been plugged in. It turns out that I was right in liking the Nexus 7, although I don’t subscribe to the company line that it would be too expensive to add a front-facing camera to it. I’m not sure I would have written about it without that e-mail.

My grandsons range between 2 and 5 years old, and spoiling them is our favorite full time job. So, we were talking with our kids about holiday gifts for their kids. I was thinking toys, trucks that roll and open to carry things, bubble-making gadgets, and the latest superhero characters. Our kids — all in their mid 30s said to save spending on a lot of stuff and just get the grandsons the new Apple mini iPad. My wife said, “OK.” To that I replied, “What! It’s just smoke and mirrors right now. You can’t promise what hasn’t been built yet. What happened to toy trucks?” My wife didn’t skip a beat, “It’s your job to get them! When it comes out.” I’ve given up saying anything but “Consider it done.” If the mini iPad is an Apple fairy tale, Grandpa will need to do some serious explaining to Grandma. I may need to open a lemonade stand atop the driveway to pay for these things — if they become more than fantasy, too. I’m still pushing the toy cars and trucks option. As I remember, moving more than a finger is good for kids. Doubt if any of that is covered by Apple’s online support FAQs — yet. Apple makes good use of storytelling — and we all seem to help them do it — including my wife and kids.

Royal Note: At the time of publication the best rumors say that the new iPhone will take the stage first, and followed at a later date by a mini iPad.

Maker Movement

I just love the Maker Movement. It brings me back to a time when free catalogs for building shortwave radios came in the mail and offered a poor kid a chance to dream about making something that would actually hear and talk to people in places beyond my small town boundaries. I wrote more about it here.

I don’t think this site will help me with my mini iPad holiday gift dilemma, but there are some pretty cool things at Adafruit for rekindling a passion for building stuff in our young folks — girls and boys alike. Limor Fried, MIT Engineer, founded the company, and supports educating kids in knowing how to build amazing things through projects. She is quite a storyteller as well.

You can believe it! Really, you can!

Speaking of fairy tales, no one could have written the one Microsoft handed its partners. “Yep, we’re going to build and sell our own stuff — and in our own Microsoft stores.” Yikes, under the Microsoft bus is a really crowded place. I wonder if the Acer folks will battle back with more creative Android, Linux, and other Open Source options? Now, that would be a good thing, right?

Get ready for more Microsoft stories, under that newly designed logo — with the Surface unveiling, Windows 8, Windows Server 2013 — and don’t forget new X-Box announcements. Microsoft hasn’t always been a reliable or great storyteller, but they’ll need to figure it out. I’m not sure they really know how to get us to tell their stories for them either.

How come refrigerators all look alike to me?

When Apple and Samsung slug it out, we begin to wonder about look-alikes, and talk about licensing, infringement and product dress. While the results of settlements will be debated, fought, and modified around the world, there are a few things that need to be addressed beyond use of internal company email. Most importantly, do not give up on making things better — innovating. If that hadn’t been done, we’d still be carrying blocks of ice up flights of stairs for refrigerators called iceboxes. Thank goodness we’re past the goal for each home to own an ice pick. We want as consumers, to see different and creative — for a great price — and marketplace competition is good for all. Competition prevents companies, for the most part, from becoming lazy, and helps consumers answer the question why they need something.

When I go to education/technology conferences and shows, many times, I see what seem to be similar things presented by different companies. Sometimes, I have to look up at the sign above the booth to know where I am. I’m not talking OEM here, but rather unique offerings that differentiate — make me want — and need a product. It is difficult to create a captivating story when the product or solution doesn’t ring the consumer or customer’s bell — loudly. I think that many times moving ahead of the pack takes some moxie to be different and distinctive. Following the herd, with only a look for today is reactionary rather than a proactive approach. That gets old fast.

Look around as larger companies gather in the smaller ones — it’s easier to buy than create. While it may be good, monetarily, for the small companies, the hunger to innovate sometimes disappears. I worry that start-ups as we know them may be headed for a sort of marketplace extinction. I hope not, because more stories begin there.

At your next team meeting the challenge could be to figure out the next new thing that will distinguish what your company will do — after today. If you’re looking at the same faces, and hearing the same thoughts, it’s time to invite some new guests to the table with new ideas. You may not need science fiction writers at the table, but hearing from some new voices couldn’t hurt, and sometimes even the wildest ideas create real sparks. When that next new thing is proposed or discovered, make sure a corporate storyteller shares it. Don’t lose it in a standard press release, especially if you have something game changing.

Finally, say it ain’t so! Lexmark is getting out of the inkjet market, in part to concentrate more on software as well as its managed print servers. Change is not easy, unfamiliar, not always a wonderful experience, but increasingly necessary and inevitable for success today. There are certainly stories needing to be told there.

Ken Royal is a teacher/education and education technology blogger/reporter, video interviewer, podcaster, education event news commentator with 34 years of classroom/school and instructional technology experience. His teaching accomplishments include being four-time district teacher of the year, Connecticut Middle School Teacher of the Year and Bill and Melinda Gates award for Technology School of Excellence. Reach Ken at ken@ravepubs.com or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kenroyal