What Does Storytelling Mean to You? | Storytelling MOOC | Creative Assignment #1

For me storytelling is about using the world around you to create emotion and take a viewer, reader or listening on a journey. It might be a story about a particular event, a work of fiction or it could be a business message. Doesn’t matter what the story, it’s what is conveyed and in a way, how it is shared. Is it written? Is it painted? Is it a video? Is it a photograph? …

So, where does this idea of story come from? Well, I tell stories for a living as a practitioner of public relations and marketing. I tell stories. They might not be great works of fiction, but I do. Right now most of my stories are about the service my company provides to real estate agents. It’s fun to find a way to talk about rules and regulations so someone will read and understand.

Oh, and I’m taking a massive open online course (MOOC) titled “The Future of Storytelling.” It’s hosted by the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam in Germany. The course if being taught by a team of 4 along with several guest lecturers who are authors, advertising executives and more. Over the next eight weeks I’ll be posting my assignments here.

First Assignment:
Summarize your favorite story and share why it is so special that you remember it.

My Choice:
There are many stories that stand out for me. The most recent of which is actually a radio commercial. It starts with some mild music and through the 30-second spot it builds and builds. It’s one in a series and this one has a Halloween theme. It starts by telling us about a man who can do amazing things like grow candy corn, bob for apples and get a three pound lobster, and that he can scare the pants back ON you. The music reaches a crescendo and that’s when it tells you he is the most interesting man in the world. And the commercial ends with The Most Interesting Man in the World coming on and saying, “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.”

Why It Stuck With Me:
It’s so out of the ordinary and it makes me laugh every time I hear it. When I hear the opening strains of the music, I actually turn up the volume on the radio for a commercial. Yes, I said it, for a commercial. So, thank you, Dos Equis for keeping me entertained this Halloween. What’s so great is that it’s a whole story in just 30 seconds. And, they have been doing it for years.

What’s your favorite story and why?