TOPSHOT - Director Steven Spielberg speaks during an event launching Apple tv+ at Apple headquarters ... [+]
“Great stories can change the world,” according to Apple CEO, Tim Cook, as he introduced Apple TV +, the new service that will carry original content from A-list filmmakers.
Cook is right. Great stories can change the world as do the storytellers who express them.
Steve Jobs himself was a captivating speaker precisely because he was a storyteller who understood the power of a great narrative to move people. A great story can make people feel connected with you, your idea, and your company. Jobs knew it.
As part of the Apple TV + launch, Cook introduced a 5-minute video that takes viewers inside the mindset of the storytellers who are creating original content for the new service. Since storytelling in business is part art and part science, part talent and part technical, the video offers valuable insights that apply to any story—in a movie theater or in a business presentation.
Great stories provide purpose
“There's something about stories that gives a sense of order and purpose to the world,” director J.J. Abrams says in the video.
Inspiring storytellers ignite the imagination because they have absolute clarity in their higher purpose. Some brands like Whole Foods were purpose-driven companies from their inception. “A higher purpose gives great energy and relevance to a company and its brand,” founder John Mackey wrote in his book, Conscious Capitalism. “Our purpose is to teach people what they put into their bodies makes a difference to their health and to the health of the planet.”
On a larger scale, shared narratives bring people together to accomplish what seems impossible. For example, scholars have found that John F. Kennedy’s ‘moon speeches’ inspired thousands of engineers, mathematicians and scientists to work together for a higher purpose. According to documents discovered in the NASA archives, even custodians felt part of the mission. “I’m not mopping floor. I’m putting a man on the moon.” Purpose drives effort.
Great stories start with great ideas
Great storytellers are creative. Where do creative ideas come from? According to Steven Spielberg, they come when you least expect them. “The best ideas are always intruders. But they’re welcome intruders.”
There’s a reason why your best ideas come along when you least expect them. In The Net and the Butterfly, the authors cite neuroscience research to show that breakthrough ideas occur when the brain switches between two modes—the ‘executive network’ and the ‘default network.’ The executive network identifies a problem and then moves on to other tasks while the default network works on creative solutions.
The best way to trigger the default network is to take a walk, get away from the computer, and do something different. That's why 'aha' moments are unexpected.
Great storytellers struggle with great writing
“I find writing to be the hardest part,” says actress and singer Sara Bareilles in the Apple video. Few would disagree.
Great business stories start with great writing and great writing takes work. Steve Jobs labored over every line in his presentations and reviewed every line in press releases. Jobs thought carefully about what each line meant—to him and his audience. He re-wrote sentences to make the concepts simple, clear, understandable and, yes, entertaining.
Great stories are set in a great environment
The artists next talk about the set or ‘the environment’ the story exists in. Everything from the cast to the costume design must be carefully considered.
It’s the same process in a business presentation. Once you have an idea and you’ve written it, you have to decide things such as who to cast—who’s going to present which parts of the presentation? You have to decide on the set that will contain your story: PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Prezi. What colors will you use? What pictures will you include? What videos will you play?
Even costume design comes into play. What will you wear? Will you dress in more casual attire like Apple executives do in Silicon Valley or a more formal wardrobe for a banking conference on the East Coast? The set, design and 'costumes' all matter.
Great stories are transcendent
According to the artists, there’s a moment in the storytelling process when everything is in sync and where everyone is on the same page, telling the same story. “There is no greater moment when you’re one organism telling one story and you’re all telling it with each other’s contributions,” says Spielberg.
Any marketing professional or CEO knows exactly what Spielberg is talking about—the moment employees, customers and the media are all aligned and sharing the brand narrative.
Transcendence is achieved, says Spielberg, when your audience gets so wrapped in your story that they forget their agenda, their day, and get lost in the narrative. A great movie can have that impact on an audience, and so can a mesmerizing speech or presentation.
Leaders should not should delegate the company or product story solely to the marketing or public relations team. A leader must act as the director of the film and help to craft, write, create and tell the story. Ideas that catch on are wrapped in story. Create great ones.
