Your main story should start first and finish last an

Your main story should start first and finish last. An example of this could be
when an executive speaks about their job role and they use past experience in
education or other job roles to show how they got there. This is useful to show
how you may have been inspired or came to make a decision of importance. It
can also be used to show how a series of events may have impacted on a specific
situation.
Converging ideas
This is where different strands of thinking comes together to form one end
result. This technique is useful to show how movements are formed and how
different thinking/philosophies come together to reach the same goal. It is
similar to nested loops, but where nested loops use supporting stories to frame

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one story, converging ideas is where more than one story of importance is told to
show the eventual conclusion. You can use this style to show how developments
converge in history or how relationships may form.
Sparklines
This is where you provide a contrasting ideal against the reality of a situation. By
presenting the ‘what ifs’, you can inspire and look to shape present situations in
business. It is a highly motivational technique of storytelling, as used by political
figures such as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. This is good to create
hope and to inspire action.
In Medias Res (in the middle of things)
This storytelling technique starts somewhere in the middle of the story, when
it is at its peak. This is designed to capture the interest of the audience straight
off, and allows the details and background to be given afterwards. This is better
used for short presentations so that the audience do not lose the thread or
purpose, and ultimately interest. This technique is good for grabbing attention
and for providing a focal/main event of influence in the story.
A false start
This is where the audience expect a certain story to be told but they get a
completely different one. This can be used to provide an instance of relevance
to the message that you want to convey, such as describing a previous work
project to highlight points of relevance about finding solutions for a current work
project. It can surprise your audience into paying attention or focusing thoughts.
This can be used as a technique to engage the audience and to introduce new
approaches and thinking within a situation.
The CAR framework
From the book ‘Lead with a story’ by Paul Smith (2012), a three element
framework is used to show the core requirements for telling a story.
These are:
f Context – to make sense of the story and provide the connection to the
audience, this includes:
• where and when the story takes place
• who the main character is
• what he/she wants
• who, or what, is in the way
f Action – to describe the ups and downs and experiences that occur on the
journey
f Result – to conclude and relay the purpose of the story.

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Activity 2b
1. What are the six structures of storytelling, as given by Annette Simmons in
her book ‘Whoever tells the best story’?
2. Name and briefly describe three storytelling techniques