Written by: September 22, 2024
Storytelling is a high ROI skill. 5 storytelling frameworks to accelerate your career:
Principle-First
Last week, I listened to The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe for the first time.
The audiobook is nearly 16 hours long, and I finished it in just 3 days—it was that gripping. (The book chronicles the adventures of America’s early astronauts and test pilots in the 1950s and 60s, capturing the daring spirit of the space race.)
What truly stood out was the storytelling. It made me realize how impactful great storytelling can be—not just for writers but in almost every aspect of life.
Whether in business, leadership, or personal relationships, storytelling is an underrated skill with incredible payoffs.
And yet, it isn’t something we’re taught in school.
So today, I’ll break down 5 storytelling frameworks you can use immediately.
SUPERHUMAN SCORING
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Impact (9.5/10)
As Yuval Noah Harari points out in Sapiens, storytelling played a crucial role in the evolution of human societies.
It’s what allowed early humans to cooperate in large groups, share knowledge, and pass down critical information through generations.
Stories help us make sense of the world and are hardwired into our brains—people are up to 22 times more likely to remember a story than standalone data (according to Dr. Jennifer Aaker).
Whether pitching ideas, inspiring a team, or strengthening relationships, tapping into storytelling’s power can make all the difference.
Let us keep moving to the 5 useful frameworks.
Setup (7.0/10)
Not all five of these frameworks will apply to you, so focus on what resonates and leave the rest.
1. The Brand Story (StoryBrand framework courtesy of Donald Miller)
Use this framework to win over customers:
- Establish the audience’s (and customer's) desires.
- Identify the obstacles standing in the way.
- Frame your brand as the trusted guide to help the customer achieve their goal.
- Provide a clear plan that resolves the problem.
- Give a clear and compelling invitation to act.
- Highlight the risks of inaction.
- Illustrate the success that follows from taking action.
Execute these steps, and you’ll have fans for a lifetime.
2. The Interview Story (STAR framework)
You know those tricky behavioral interview questions, like “Tell me about a time when you had to work under pressure and meet a tight deadline?”
Answer those with the STAR framework.
- (S) Situation: Provide the context.
- (T) Task: Tell of the challenge and stakes.
- (A) Action: Say what you did to address it.
- (R) Result: Highlight and quantify the outcome of your actions.
You’ll keep the interviewer engaged by demonstrating a clear, structured approach to your thinking.
3. The Customer Success Story
Customers are the lifeblood of a business.
Leverage their stories to win over more of them:
- Collect real testimonials.
- Highlight the problem solved.
- Showcase transformation.
- Make it relatable.
- Boost credibility with video or audio.
4. The Founder Story (inspired by Joseph Campbell and Kindra Hall)
- The Beginning: Describe the founder's life and the challenges they saw.
- The Call to Adventure: Share the moment that sparked the business idea.
- Facing Challenges: Outline the obstacles encountered.
- The Turning Point: Explain how they overcame those obstacles.
- The Success: Highlight the business’s growth and impact.
5. The Company Story (The Timeline Method)
This method allows the company to highlight key moments of its evolution.
- Identify critical milestones.
- Put them in sequential order.
- Tie each to a growth moment.
- End with a vision for the future.
Showing your trajectory will inspire confidence in the company’s growth and future potential.
Maintenance (7.5/10)
Like any skill, storytelling improves with practice.
Here are some tips to help you tell more stories:
- Keep a list of storytelling frameworks you like on your phone or computer.
- When preparing for a presentation, default to starting with a story.
- Choose a framework from your saved list that suits your audience. For instance, if you’re pitching your startup, use the founder’s story. (It’s far easier to begin with a proven framework than face a blank page.)
The more you integrate these frameworks into your speaking and writing, the more natural it becomes.
Want more storytelling resources? Here are a few excellent ones:
- Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall
- Storytelling advice from the South Park creators (This 2-minute YouTube clip highlights the value of the words “but” and “therefore” to introduce conflict, tension, and resolution.)
BRINGING IT HOME
The 5 Stories to Accelerate Your Career:
- The Brand Story
- The Interview Story
- The Customer Success Story
- The Founder Story
- The Company Story
Admittedly, storytelling is something I’m working on myself. I used to think I was being empathetic to listeners by sticking to the facts and being ‘efficient.’
But if stories are 22x more memorable than facts, and the goal is to share knowledge in a way that sticks, then storytelling isn’t just effective—it’s considerate.
In the words of Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, “No one ever made a decision because of a number. They need a story.”
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