Tell me a story.
Let’s not beat around the bush, the economy is f*cked at the moment, the world has gone apocalyptic and everyone is looking for a way to stand out.
With jobs drying up and the dreaded anticipation of things are only going to get worse, everyone is looking for ways to stand out. You might have noticed over the past couple of years ‘creativity’ is the new essential skill for your career – that’s great if you’re that way inclined – yay to us but with everyone trying to be of service and help in these times of togetherness, apparently now the key to standing out in the post COVID-19 society is to up-skill your creativity and to hone the craft of story telling.
From Instagram posts to video game narratives – story telling is the perfect harmony of art and science – and to be honest we’re all sick of hearing about rona so no wonder creativity and escapism is high on the agenda. Commercially good stories solidify brand messages, inspire and bring people together.
In a job seeker world, a great story helps to differentiate your personal brand and demonstrate your ability to think differently.
As creatives we generally think in stories and solutions, the process is present in everything we do:
— understand the audience.
— define the message.
— find a connection and use emotion.
— execute through the right medium.
Easy right? Perhaps not.
What these advisors don’t really understand is, a lot of people aren’t creative thinkers and how can you possibly up-skill and ‘thrive’ post the COVID-19 pandemic. To assist us all in up-skilling our yarns without the spin, I asked the brilliant writer, director, film maker and all round talented human Petra Lovrencic for her view on what makes a good story…
#1. My number one tip for when it comes to telling a good story is to know your audience and to write for them. With any marketable product, it is important to recognise who you are creating for, and to create for them. There is a level of expectation that an audience has when they tune into a TV drama or pick up a romance novel.
#2. What will really help your story stand out is if you write to the expectations of your audience... and then surprise them! Give your audience something that they would not expect: flip their expectations. One of the many reasons that made Jordan Peele's 'Us' so revered was that it took the typical horror genre "hero" character and revealed her to be the bad guy. This manipulation then forced the audience to question what the hero and her world is really representing.
#3. What makes for a good story is a compelling character. Give your characters flaws. Ugly is interesting. Your protagonist can have moments of unlikability without losing your audience. Those vulnerable moments are what makes your character human, and how your character comes out of those ugly moments is where the moral of your story lies.
#4. Storytelling is all about emotion. All of the greatest works of art make you feel something. Emotion is what connects a story to its audience. People may forget what happens in a film, but they will remember how it made them feel.
#5. A practical tip for storytelling is to set yourself a deadline, and commit to it. It is important to give your project the time it needs, and to not rush into completing it, but without deadlines we'd still be perfecting our very first projects until we die.
My takeaways — whether it be personal branding or a company the notion is still relevant.
— Tailor your message to who you’re talking to.
— Add a bit of somethin’ somethin’ – your secret sauce, what makes you special.
— Talk about your learnings and how this has helped you.
— Be yourself and show the true you.
— Just start – as Hemingway says…
“The first draft of anything is shit”.
— Ernest Hemingway
Petra Lovrencic is a Sydney-based writer, director, and producer. Her mission as a filmmaker is to tell stories from underrepresented communities via inclusive practice and narrative comedy. Most recently, Petra produced 'Halal Gurls', an Australian comedy webseries that offers a candid look into the lives of young Muslim women living their best lives in Bankstown, as they endure the unseen everyday culture clash between their faith and desire. The series received international success and recognition from both Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and is celebrated as the World’s first hijabi comedy series.
Need help in understanding your brand message? Email us here for our brand questionnaire to help you uncover your key messaging and brand personality. Oh and do yourself a favour, check out the entire series of Halal Gurls on ABC iview.
