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Content marketing is all the rage for 2013. I think it might have been the rage in 2012, too. It is a buzzword, for sure, but it is essentially focused on how to tell a story. More so, it is about how to engage with your customer or prospect. Via Karen Dietz, Hans Heesterbeek Delete the scoop?
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You’d think that a problem makes for an interesting story. But when it comes to telling the story of game-changing innovation, the “problem/solution” model is broken. This is why so many brands and causes have a hard time telling their story. When it comes to business, you want to introduce a paradox, not just a problem.
What a great post from colleage Michael Margolis on how to re-think the problem/resolution elements of a story into presenting the possbility & then the obstacle being faced.
This is an especially important insight for nonprofits to get because the problem/resolution set up starts out with a negative -- which can be a turn-off for people. As Michale says, we are surrounded by enough problems these days.
So turn the problem/resolution dyamic on its head and shift to presenting the possibility/obstacle dynamic instead. That way you are leading with a positive, and then presenting the obstacle to overcome. Obviously then people's participation in the cause/business will help the obstacle be overcome. Or part of the obstacle has already been overcome with people's help.
Now, I would suggest doing the same for any business -- present the possibility and the obstacle, and then the resolution or call to action.
I be you'll feel better setting up your story this way, and so will your audience. Let me know how it goes! Via Karen Dietz Delete the scoop?
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Here are the best articles from across the web that I can find on using stories and storytelling in business. I weed out all the junk. And besides, who needs another post in why storytelling is important?? Where's the beef?? We want the meat! I've written reviews of each article to share what I like best, what you can get from reading the article, or what may be missing in the article.
How To Find A Topic: Click on the Tags tab above, and then click on one of the tags. All the articles on that topic will appear.
I may occassionally review an article that I think is problematic as a way to educate us all, although most I will simply pass over. If you wonder if I've seen an article that is not included here, send me a message and I'll respond.
And I hope you will also visit my website for more tips and tools, & take the free Story IQ assessment so you can see how well developed your storytelling skills and knowledge is: http://www.juststoryit.com/storyiq ; Via Karen Dietz 
Karen Dietz's comment,
May 2, 9:49 AM
Thank you much Emmanuelle for bringing the Just Story It curation into your site! I appreciate the shout out.
Karen Dietz's comment,
May 3, 1:06 PM
Thank you Nikolaos for re-scooping the Just Story It curation! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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Create stories that inspire your customers to step out of the status quo, take action, and invest through you into a better tomorrow. Imagine if the power of storytelling could do for your salespeople what it did for Al Gore?
Here's where to find the gold in this post: it's not about the blog text. Nor is it the in the first few slides in the SlideShare presentation.
You hit the gold when you land on the slide that shares an effective structure for business storytelling. Even better yet, the structure is explained with tips on what to do and what not to do! Yeah!
But there is more. If you continue through the slides it walks you through using the Storytelling Dice tool. Very cool!
So dig into this presentation for those gems.
Now...just a quick reminder...knowing story structure is important. It helps us organize our thoughts. But the true crafting of a story happens when you share it orally. That's when the story morphs into its most compelling form. So find partners to practice sharing your stories orally with. Never forget -- this is a critical part of the story crafting process.
Enjoy this quick piece and the tutorial on using the Storytelling Dice!
Original link: http://insightdemand.com/business-storytelling/6-steps-business-storytelling-guide/ ;
This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it ; Via Karen Dietz 
's comment, July 9, 2012 8:57 AM
Thanks Karen. The dice game grew out of a seminar I had to do for 140 -people. I had no idea how I was going to keep them engaged. I was terrified. So, I thought how do i get them creating a story as fast as possible. Out of this terrible situation, came the card game which forced me to condense my content to 6-slides. I love the theory behind storytelling yet salespeople have a very short attention span so this seems to work.
Karen Dietz's comment,
July 9, 2012 3:34 PM
Brilliant Michael! Truly necessity is the mother of invention :)
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Do not undervalue the benefit of a longer, more detailed story in providing learning experiences. Anecdotes and “training fables” can be very effective and they do have their place. If you can work in a longer story, though, you can have greater emotional involvement. That is the most effective memory resource of all.
Here is what I love most about this post -- its reminder that longer stories are just as important to share as short anecdotes.
In today's short-attention span world, the prevailing notion is that people have no tolerance for longer stories -- especially online. Balderdash, I say!
What anyone needs to pay attention to is finding the right places for sharing those longer stories. A few questions to ask yourself are: What is my purpose in sharing this story? What work do I want this story to do? What is the best channel (on-line channels & off-line channels) for sharing this story? If this longer story is going to be shared on-line, how do I need to prep my audience so they are ready to listen to it?
Read this short article to discover how the author crafted and shared his longer story. And don't sell yourself (or your audience) short by only going for those quickie stories! Via Kathy Hansen, Karen Dietz Delete the scoop?
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Good selling has always involved story. It is what draws the prospective buyer in and helps them to see what problem(s) you are offering to solve.
Well, yeah, content is what you pay to get into the game, but its the stories that make it work for you.