Just Story It

See, that’s not so hard! What other move genre ‘recipes’ could you come up with?

LOL -- I love these short story structures all put together in a fun infographic. And don't forget to read the comments on the blog -- there are several more structures people came up with.

Now most of these you probably wouldn't use in business, but they way they are portrayed is a hoot anyway. Enjoy!

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

Information can be useful--and even beautiful--but only when it’s presented well. In an age of information overload, any guidance through the clutter comes as a welcome relief. That’s one reason for the recent popularity of information graphics.

Got data? Need it to tell a story? Then make sure you read this article about constructing a storied infographic. An infographic is one visual storytelling method.

Yes, there are graphics tips here for us non-graphics people like "Choosing a Format". But the majority of the article is about effective storytelling with data. Like tips on "Finding the Narrative" and "Identifying Problems" (essential to a good story) to locating the "Hero" or key message.

And I like how the author, Josh Smith, dicusses determining a visual approach.

In the end, having graphic design skills seems necessary to do this type of visual storytelling well. 

Yet I think that there are plenty of ways to use the tips in this article to take simple data in our work and turn it into visually inspiring pieces without being a graphic designer. 

So take these tips and play/experiment with the simple tools we do have available to us non-graphic biz folks: PowerPoint, MSPublisher, Excel, Keynote, Prezi, and the like.

Read the full article here: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670019/10-steps-to-designing-an-amazing-infographic 

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

Infographics are visual representations of information, or “data viz” as the cool kids call it these days.

Here's a great article on how to create infographics, or tell a story using 'data viz.'

Translating data into a story is tough work and this article gives us some fabulous tips on how to do it.

Not a graphic designer? Don't worry -- as a business person the more you know about how to create a great data viz story, the better you can tell a graphic designer or graphic scriber what you want.

Another reason I like this article is because it actually mentions the need to create a storyline for your visual, and know before had what the key message is you are trying to deliver.

The storytelling points the article leaves out are the storytelling devices of metaphor, analogy, contrast, and sensory material that are critical to a story's and an infographic's success.  These pieces are implied in the article, but need more direct discussion about.

Use this article as a great guide.  And if you want more detail, go dig into "Visualize This" by Nathan Yau (although it can be pretty technical).

For our business stories, don't think resume -- think of your 'About' pages!

Think of client projects turned into an infographic!

Think about testimonials or a business process turned into an infographic!

Here are four tools to help you do that.  Some may be better than others in using them beyond building a resume.

Oh, and if you need a resume, these tools look pretty cool :)

Author Beth Kanter shares her insights on creating quality infographics that tell a story.

I've included the article here because inforgraphics are another terrific way to tell stories visually for any business or non-profit.  

This article helps us think through what we are trying to accomplish when sharing data.  I love the questions Beth asks of us.

OkCupid Word Cloud...

Here's a Fast Company article with tips on how to tell a story with data, from the author of the recently published book "Visualize This" Sam Yagan.  Yagan shares some really good insights about the process of creating a story from data that are important to consider.

Merely knowing what a charity does isn’t always enough to convince potential donors to lend financial support. Sometimes you have to know who the charity does it for, too.

Now how creative is this?!! I love that nonprofit Aspire uses an infographic to share a story, and also creates a very effective video story about their email campaign using the infographic.

The infographic is not about the organization, but about the people it serves.  Yeah! They got it right!

Enjoy this material. You too can do this! And I encourage you to do so. It is quite ingenious and it will gain you results.

This review was written by Karen Dietz for her Just Story It Scoops at www.scoop.it/t/just-story-it 

An infographic detailing the history of content marketing in timeline form.

Here's a great infographic that puts content creation and marketing in perspective. It's not the whole landscape of biz storytelling, but it does put a context around this one application.

We get a lot of infographic pitches. Almost all of them suck. Why?

Here's a lovely video and great article about infographics and narrative as a form of visual storytelling.

What is an infographic? You will see plenty of examples here.

What does this have to do with narrative? The best infographics tell a story or trigger stories within our minds. The designer being interviewed on the video, Francesco Franchi explains how and why.

I hope you like the video (5+ min.) and the insights Francesco shares with us. Very interesting!

"As Beth Kanter remarked on a public Google Plus thread about creating useful infographics, “I think that information visualization is a necessity in this age of data overload and seeing the forest beyond the trees.” I agree with that statement, and personally jump to view the “shiny new storytelling toy” whenever I see an infographic. Infographics represent an exciting new storytelling avenue for nonprofit organizations, enabling them to share important data stories, visually."

I don't know how I missed this post by colleague and fellow curator Debra Askanase but it's a good one!

Debra makes the point that infographics can and should tell a story.  She then gives tips on how to do so and resources to use.  

And I love the infographic at the top of the article! It's a perfect example of one that blends both data and storytelling elements.

What are the story elements an infographic can use to be more effective?

1. It needs to be emotionally engaging in ways that offer people a way to make a difference
2. Metphor
3. A beginning, middle & end with a story arc
4. Statement of a problem and ways for resolution
5. Story triggers -- graphics and words that trigger stories within the minds of viewers
6. A point, a key message
7. Suggested actions to take

Not all infographics need to tell a story. Before embarking on creating an infographic, ask yourself the following strategic questions:

1. Who is my target audience?
2. What important information does my target audience need or want to hear?
3. Is the purpose of the infographic to share information, educate people, or create a context for understanding an issue?
4. Is the purpose of the infographic to spark action -- either donations, support, or advocacy?
5. What is my key message? What do I want my viewers to take away from the experience?

If you answered YES to #4, then you need your infographic to tell a story.  If you answered YES to #3, then your infographic only needs to convey information.

Go read the article for more great infographic insights.

If we agree that engaging with brands in social media is a good thing, then how can we do it better?

This is a very cool infographic that helps us build more sociability into our online marketing efforts.

While the visual does not specifically mention storytelling, in the 9 Drivers of Brand Sociability, 4 are about storytelling or the dynamics of storytelling.

This infographic is geared more toward big companies with big marketing/branding departments.  But the points they bring out apply to any size business.

So go grab this document, study it, apply their 9 drivers to your specific business, and get better results.

Your numerical data can tell stories, but can stories be data that leads to continuous improvement?   Do numbers only matter?

And can data be stories!  Absolutely on both counts.  Read more about creating infographics that help tell stories here in this article by Beth Kanter.

In the past year or so, there’s been a lot of buzz about the power of storytelling for businesses.

This article shares an infographic that for me is the best example of actually sharing a story in this visual form.  It's very creative and businesses can readily do the same.