Dr. Seuss and the Art of Storytelling

We are living in crazy times right now. One silver lining is that there will undoubtedly be great stories that emerge from this experience. 

I've always felt that this story, from One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish, was one of the best stories ever told. It’s a great example of 3 things that made Dr. Seuss such a captivating storyteller. Feel free to add them to your toolbox.
 
1.  Be brief.
You want to give your audience enough, but not too much. Pick the 5 points that are the most important and build your story around them. Being brief is not easy. As a brand strategist, I am often called upon to create a 10-page deck that captures everything there is to say about a brand. Most of the time, I start by writing a 50-page deck and work backward from there. 

Words are so beautiful and enticing. Early in my career, when I asked a friend to give me feedback on something I’d written, his comment came back, “It must be difficult to write when you love words so much.” Ouch. Keeping it lean is especially important in business. Your message must be consistent, so your story must be short enough to be retold the same way every time. 
 
2. Be honest. 
The whole point of storytelling is to relate to other people, to connect and engage, and you can only do that if you are genuinely being yourself. Seuss’ shabby, shoeless character is humble and relatable. In the world of branding, we talk a lot about authenticity. A genuine backstory draws people to a brand. Transparency and integrity establish the credibility that creates brand loyalty. Your messaging should be sincere and straightforward. Good storytelling advice is the same as good relationship advice. Listen. Respond. Show you care. Show you understand. Build trust. Be generous. 
 
3. Be memorable.
With so many messages trying to cut through the clutter, yours needs to be memorable. I had a high school English teacher who advised that our essays should always have 3 parts: tell them what you’re going to say, say it, and tell them what you’ve just said. I’ve used his advice throughout my career. Repetition is effective. So is quirkiness. Dr. Seuss’s take was: tell them once, then tell them again -- but backwards, to make it interesting. Telling your story in an unexpected way gets people’s attention.
 
The presentations we make at meetings could benefit from reading a bit more like Dr. Seuss. Keep it short. Speak from the heart. Give them something to remember. Stories have the power to shift minds and change worlds. People don’t engage with products or data; they engage with stories. In the world of business, a good story may be your greatest strategic tool. 

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Note: I was recently a guest on the Change Creator podcast - if you'd like, you can listen here. I wrote a longer version of this article for Change Creator's digital magazine.