This week’s webinar took our audience on a fascinating dive into storytelling with Jonah Sachs, CEO and Founder of Free Range Studios and author of ‘Winning the Story Wars’ (I bought the book immediately following the webinar!). Read all the way through this post – you’ll be rewarded for doing so with a special gift at the end. The History of Story
Jonah explained that for 99.9% of humanity, history was communicated via an oral tradition. If people didn’t find your idea compelling, it would wither and die. When people made your idea their own, then it got transmitted and was able to live and evolve.
The broadcast era turned that oral tradition on its head. The dynamic became the survival of the richest with a “one to many” approach of delivering important messages and stories.
Returning to Story
Fast forward to today and what Jonah has dubbed the “Digitoral Era”. With technology, we now have quicker transmission of personal ideas via social networks while simultaneously returning back to the place where ideas must get passed along and adapted or die.
Jonah’s theory is that if we want our message to be heard, we have to become great storytellers. We’ve all heard this line before but Jonah’s approach is based on mythology and was unlike any approach I’ve personally learned previously. Jonah explained that great myths always include a hero, a mentor and a gift. He explains how we must create our own myths using these elements and the role our brand is to play in the story we weave.
Freaks, Cheats and Familiars
The discussion continued with additional characters in a great story: freaks, cheats and familiars. Jonah shared examples about how these unlikely characters are incorporated into memorable, lasting stories that can make an impact on our audiences and the world. You might be surprised to find yourself among one of these leading roles.
Our Gift to You
We were so captivated by this particular webinar that we have decided to make it available to our expanded CMF community free of charge. If you’re a member, you receive this webinar for free already – simply log into your CMF member area. If you’re not yet a member, register for the recorded course and then use the discount code: ALL100 upon checkout. You’ll get instant access to this captivating, hour long lesson in storytelling that is sure to give you food for thought and possibly change your entire approach to effectively communicating your cause-based message.
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