Let's See That Again! Breathing life into your company's video by Thomas Clifford
June 29, 2009
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Think Twitter’s 140-character limitation deters storytellers from tweeting? Think again. Tip: follow these 140's by grabbing their rss feed.
Keeping in the spirit of Twitter, I’ll post the following as “tweets.”
1. Terrance Gargiulo @makingstories
Author, speaker. Shares thought-provoking ideas on empowering ourselves through story. Tweets interesting and re-tweetable quotes.
2. Sean Buvala @storyteller
Funny, engaging and conversational. Sean’s tweets are packed with enough variety to keep you coming back for more.
3. Kathy Hansen @kat_hansen
Prolific blogger/author. Focuses on telling stories for career development. Unearths amazing sites on story. Also tweets @astoriedcareer
4. Storytellin' @storytellin
Ongoing collection of Delicious bookmarks on storytelling and links are updated regularly. Features a wide variety of news.
5. Smithmag @smithmag
The king of six-word stories. Period.
6. Shawn Callahan @unorder
Interesting insights and thoughts on the role of storytelling in business.
7. Nick Morgan @nfrodom1
Communications coach/author of “Trust Me.” Encourages leadership thru better communications, gestures, listening, speaking. Wonderful tips!
BONUS: Story Corps @storycorps
NPR’s partner in storytelling. Remarkable tagline: “Our mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.”
Want to discover more people?
Follow the #storytelling trend to discover story-related messages.
Over to you. Who do you follow in the story world? Any filmmakers? Authors? Journalists? Photojournalists?
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. He helps Fortune 100's and non-profits breathe life into their messages and stories.
Blog: http://www.DirectorTom.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/ThomasClifford
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June 14, 2009
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I’ve recently bookmarked so many interesting sites on how companies use video I figured it’s time to open the vault and share a few of my favorite discoveries with you. I hope you’ll find something interesting, useful and thought-provoking here.
1. Herman Miller Video: Making of Setu
Watch how the team members sit around a table and one team member shares their compliments about another person on the team. We get a quick tour, see the chair in action and catch some philosophy along the way. It’s a simple video with a simple design structure. A perfect compliment to the Herman Miller brand.
(Hat tip to my blogging friend and branding guru Tom Asacker for this link.)
2. Multimedia Journalists Discover Life After Newspapers
Welcome to the future of corporate video storytelling. A must-read article pointing to how former newspaper photographers are preparing for new career directions by creating web videos that help companies and nonprofits tell their stories.
3. Have you seen the Rhode Island School of Design videos?
Definitely check out the “RISD Profile” videos. I really enjoyed John Maeda’s interview, the President of RISD.
4. Video to Flood Corporate Networks, Too.
Hold on to your hats, folks. From the article: “Cisco's famous "Zettaflood" report last year predicted that video would make up half of the Internet's traffic by 2012…” This brief article is a great snapshot indicating the enormous rise in video usage; now and in the future.
5. NY Times "Conversations" Videos
I love these short conversational videos from the NYTimes. This is from the home page: “Candid conversations with some of today’s most interesting people about their passions, their lives and NYTimes.com.” Perhaps it's another glimpse into one of the ways organizations will use video?
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford believes remarkable
organizations deserve remarkable films. He helps Fortune 100's and
non-profits breathe life into their messages and stories.
Blog: http://www.DirectorTom.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/ThomasClifford
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June 1, 2009
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One of the questions I get asked the most is “How do you get people to talk so naturally on-camera?”
The simple answer is it starts with my intention.
That’s why I’m so thrilled to share with others Nick Morgan’s new book “Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.” Setting intentions is one of the central ideas in “Trust Me.” Business leaders and non-filmmakers involved in any aspect of creating a corporate documentary will find this book invaluable. (And yes, filmmakers will find it awesome, too!)
Think your spoken words carry the most weight during a conversation?
Think again.
Your gestures mean more. Way more.
And you can thank your limbic brain for believing gestures over spoken words.
According to Morgan, many of the gestures we use while speaking actually happen a split second before our words are spoken. At a subconscious level, we receive these gestures and then our part of our brain determines if that person is believable and authentic.
“Trust Me” outlines in four simple steps how we can become more believable and authentic by getting both verbal and nonverbal in sync.
We often feel a certain way about someone because we unconsciously believe the “second conversation,” the one with gestures, over the “first conversation,” the one with content.
“Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma” is an important piece of work because we now have a clear and simple system to become highly effective communicators while maximizing our presence in front of others; either in groups or one-on-one.
The Big Idea
The main concept behind “Trust Me” is simply this: gestures first, words second.
“We are all unconscious experts at reading other people’s body language” (pg 2).
Nick proposes that “every conversation is two conversations: the verbal one- the content- and the nonverbal one- the body language. If the two are aligned, you can be a persuasive, authentic communicator…If the two are not aligned, people believe the nonverbal every time” (pg 1).
The Big "A-Ha!"
Over the years, our instincts taught us to survive by reading nonverbal clues; which is great when one is living in the wild. These instincts are still with us, of course, but now with a slight twist: we are conditioned to read the nonverbal and attach meaning or intent behind it.
By learning to create intent first, our body language will more naturally express the intent, thus creating a more believable and authentic communication experience.
Intentions First. Gestures Second.
Most of us have been taught to think of what to say first then the words and gestures will follow. But we know the brain perceives and believes gestures first so it makes sense to create the intention of your communication first, then the gestures will appear naturally, followed by your thoughts and finally your actual words.
It’s easy to think, “I’ll just control my gestures by being conscious of them.” Of course, you’ll run into a slight problem: you’ll come off doubly awkward because now you’re thinking consciously of an unconscious activity. Nick’s suggestion? Think about the intent first and you will naturally create believable gestures. Now you can begin creating two believable conversations at once; the verbal and the nonverbal.
The Four Steps
Nick’s system to communicate authentically is easy to remember in any situation:
Step One: Being Open
Step Two: Being Connected
Step Three: Being Passionate
Step Four: Listening
The last few chapters of the book have some really unique and invaluable public speaking tips.
Seeking to enhance your communication skills either in groups or just one-on-one?
Then this book just might be for you. Trust me. :-)
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. He helps Fortune 100's and non-profits breathe life into their messages and stories.
Blog: http://www.DirectorTom.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/ThomasClifford
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May 17, 2009
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How would I describe myself?
What were my dreams as I child?
What am I most proud of?
What are my plans for the future?
How would I like to be remembered?
What is the most important thing in my life?
Do I have any regrets?
When did I first experience death?
On June 1, people all across America will share their answers to these questions when David Lynch’s new “Interview Project” debuts.
“Interview Project” features 121 interviews captured throughout America. One 20,000 mile road trip over 70 days. Each personal narrative is three-to-five minutes in length.
A new interview will be released every three days for the next year. You can read more about the series on About.com.
If the past year is any indication, it’s clear an enormous shift in video storytelling is occurring: personal narratives is one heck of a shortcut to create emotional connections with viewers.
Can you imagine how powerful it would be if organizations started incorporating short narratives into their internal and external communications strategies?
Organizations have databases for numbers. Why not a database of stories? Why not have a narrative "Story Center?"
Imagine a story center where short narratives like those in the “Interview Project” explored new ideas, concepts, values, challenges, community projects, etc with employees, potential recruits, shareholders, customers, etc.
Personally, I think we're just beginning the journey.
What do you think?
Are we entering a period where video stories are playing a critical role in communicating? Will new video technology shape how organizations communicate, motivate, and inspire others?
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films.
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May 5, 2009
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"The eyes have one language everywhere." George Herbert / Welsh poet
Hooked. Captivated. Hynotized.
That’s exactly how I felt the first time I interviewed someone looking directly into the camera. And I felt this way for good reason; it’s how we talk to one another.
But for all too long, video conversations have struggled to feel “natural” and “organic.” That’s because the video technology wasn’t available until recently.
People have been prompted with pre-written scripts. Or people look off-screen to the left or right. Heck, we don’t look to the left or right when we are talking to someone and we don’t memorize our lines ahead of time, either.
The era of “impersonal video conversations” is finally changing. There’s a subtle shift happening in “video land.” So subtle, in fact, you probably haven’t even notice it.
This shift is real and terribly important to your audience and marketplace.
With the help of a simple component that connects to the front lens of a video camera, we can easily have someone look and talk conversationally to an audience…right into their eyes.
This may not seem like a big deal…but it is.
Here’s why.
Let’s say you’re having a conversation with a friend. And they’re reading from a pre-written script while looking directly at you. You’d feel pretty awkward, right?
Let’s call this “Stage 1” in the evolution of video conversations.
If we took this real life conversation and “mapped” it onto a TV screen, it would come across like this: “Just listen and look at me while I read a pre-written message.”
Most of the times, there wasn’t much “heart” in this type of delivery. “Real” people struggled trying to perform effortlessly like an actor and came across unnatural.
The attributes of “Stage 1” conversations are:
1. Precise
2. Forced
3. Remote
Of course, portable film and television gear in the early days wasn’t available so using the TelePrompTer for company messages was common and widespread.
This was the predominant form of communication for many companies in the 1960’s through the 1980’s. But think about this: the TelePrompTer is designed for the written word. Messages were carefully crafted as if they were going to be printed and read; not seen and heard.
Stage 2.
Now picture your friend looking to the left or right while they talked to you. How would you feel? Invisible?
Subconsciously, here’s the visual metaphor in television: “Ignore the viewer and talk to someone else.”
The attributes of this video conversation are:
1. Open
2. Genuine
3. Indirect
Portable documentary equipment was starting to come onto the scene thus making it possible to film interviews “on the fly” without much set-up. “Stage 2” conversations are fluid, casual, and spontaneous but still missing direct eye contact to the viewer.
Stage 3.
Now imagine a conversation where each of you are looking at one another. This is the latest evolution of video conversations. The breakthrough was popularized by Academy Award winning director, Errol Morris.
For the first time in audio/visual communications, we can now capture candid conversations that closely reflect real life conversations.
Attributes for “Stage 3” conversation are:
1. Compelling
2. Genuine
3. Direct
For a stunning glimpse into how an organization can embrace this “eye-to-eye” concept and emotionally move an audience to new levels, take a few moments to check out my favorite corporate film that Errol produced for IBM. Feel the difference?
In 60 years, the television and video industry has migrated from “read this script and look into the camera” to “speak from your heart and look into the camera.”
Over to you. What do you think?
• Is social media driving video conversations into new areas?
• Are you seeing more examples of this type of video conversations on the web or from companies?
• Does eye contact even matter?
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films.
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April 20, 2009
02:55 pm | 0 recommendations | 3 comments
“When facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one becomes less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact. And that is the essence of the aptitude of Story- context enriched by emotion.” Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind
If there’s one thing the social media “tsunami” has shown us it’s this: storytelling is far from dead.
Now that we can tell our stories to the world in an instant, it might be a good idea to learn some of the basics in crafting an interesting story.
So where do we begin learning to craft our personal stories and the stories about our organization?
This set of books is the second half of my favorite books on storytelling for personal and business use. Each one is unique and offers tremendous insights into the world of storytelling. If you missed the first set of books, you can find them in the previous post.
7 More Books to Help You and Your Organization Become Better Storytellers
1. Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Storytelling to Drive Results. Lori Silverman
Of all the 14 books listed, this one is the most comprehensive books on organizational storytelling. “Wake Me Up” gives the reader dozens of examples on how to discover, craft and increase the use of stories within an organization. The book is divided into three parts: how stories are being used, specific applications and finally, advice on integrating stories into specific business needs. It’s definitely worth reading several times as it’s packed with dozens of real-life examples covering just about every angle of storytelling.
2. A Little Less Conversation: Connecting with Customers in a Noisy World. Tom Asacker
3. Sandbox Wisdom: Revolutionize Your Brand with the Genius of Childhood. Tom Asacker
Confession time. I’m a huge fan of Tom’s books. While some may say these books don’t technically fall into the “storytelling” genre but more into the “marketing” arena, I’d quickly disagree. Tom magically weaves the concepts of brand loyalty, marketing, customer engagement and how we connect with people using the power of a simple story. Both books use fictional short stories that take us on a fun journey from “business as usual” to “business as it really should be.” Like magic, these fictional stories and conversations quietly weave new ways for us to think about how we might begin approaching our own business practices. Ah, the power of a great story.
4. The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling. Annette Simmons
5. Whoever Tells The Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. Annette Simmons
Not sure where to start in your story journey? Want to start using your own personal stories when networking with others? Think about starting out with Annette’s books. I really, really love the “The Story Factor.” It’s a perfect book for beginners to get their heads wrapped around the power and basic concepts of storytelling. Annette covers the six stories we need to learn to tell, what is a story, storytelling do’s and don’ts and several other important ideas behind telling stories.
6. Squirrel Inc.: A Fable of Leadership Through Storytelling. Stephen Denning
7. The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations. Stephen Denning
I think “Springboard” was the first book I ever bought on storytelling years ago. While Denning’s book is geared more for organizational storytelling, I enjoyed crafting my own springboard stories simply personal practice. “The Springboard” is another great place to start incorporating a single story into your personal or business life.
What, then, is a springboard story? Denning explains a springboard story this way: “…a tiny story- 29 words or 200 bytes- is less a vehicle for communication of large amounts of information and more a tiny fuse that ignites a new story in the listener’s minds, which establishes new connections and patterns in the listeners’ existing information, attitudes, and perceptions…the listeners generate a new story.” (pg. 82-83)
“Squirrel Inc.” offers quite a different take on the power of storytelling through a fable involving a cast of squirrels; yup, squirrels…and the story works like a charm! A must-read, for sure.
BONUS: Of course, don’t forget Seth Godin’s classic, All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World.
Do you have your favorites? What books did I miss? Would love to hear from you. Share you comments here. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to hit the "Recommend This" button.
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films.
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April 6, 2009
08:33 pm | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
As I was recently rearranging my “ridiculously-way-over-stuffed-I-need-to-straighten-this-thing-out”bookshelf, I noticed over a dozen books scattered about; books on story,personal storytelling and organizational storytelling.
Instead of putting them back where they belonged, I made a tall pile on the floor. And then I just sat there staring at the pile.
I reflected on how much these amazing authors have helped me understand the journey of storytelling not only from a personal point of view, but especially from a business perspective.
Then the idea hit me: I should share these titles.
There are 14 book in total. The book list will be in two parts; below is the first half. The next batch will be in the next post.
The beauty of this list is that each book is entirely different from the next, proving the theory that “story” is an extremely fluid word and meaning so many things to so many people.
Each one is fabulous; explore them all and see which ones you feel attracted to.
You just might see yourself or your organization in a new way.
I know I did.
7 Books to Help You and Your Organization Become Better Storytellers
A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
The Seven Slide Solution: Telling Your Business Story Effectively in Seven Slides or Less
Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career
Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story
The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action Through Narrative
The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business
Do you have your favorites? What books did I miss? Would love to hear from you. Share you comments here.Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films.
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March 22, 2009
09:35 am | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
- Do you enjoy challenging ideas?
- Intrigued by new concepts?
- Wish you could share these ideas with your friends?
In other words, are you a big thinker?
If so, I’ve got great news for you.
Big Think is here.
Big Think is founded by the producers of Charlie Rose and features short video clips of leading thinkers in business and society.
Just a few of the many thought-leaders you’ll find on Big Think are Richard Branson, Paul Krugman, Jimmy Wales, Moby, Deepak Chopra and Andrew Cohen.
What’s the concept behind Big Think?
Here’s what “Big Think” says on their About Us page:
“The Idea: In the global digital age, there is a glut of accessible information. And while this information empowers you, the citizen-consumer, the only way to make any sense of it, is to begin an interactive relationship with the global thought leaders who can deliver the best news and analysis on the Web. Welcome to Big Think.”
Welcome to a new age in video.
- People looking directly at us.
- Sharing their beliefs.
- Challenging the status quo.
- Telling stories.
- Sharing ideas within a community.
Is this the new wave for how organizations will use video to engage their employees, customers, stakeholders?
What do you think?
- Are businesses next?
- Will organizations integrate video stories like these into their communication strategies?
- If not, what is holding them back?
Would love to hear from you. Share you comments here.
Veteran corporate filmmaker Thomas Clifford
helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing
employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their
brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable
films.
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March 8, 2009
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I don’t know how I missed this, but I did.
In February of 2007, The Washington Post launched “onBeing.”
The concept?
We need to get to know each other better and what better way to do that than by capturing everyday stories from everyday people?
The result? Short video stories that are:
- Compelling
- Inspiring
- Radically simple
“The unique videos present the musings, attitudes, passions and quirks of people in an up-close documentary style. Each person speaks to the camera against a stark white background. The uncomplicated presentation intensifies the viewing experience and focuses the spotlight on each person's story without distraction.” (Washington Post press release)
Beyond the simplicity it offers, there is something “soulful” about it. Perhaps it’s the fact that each one of us have stories that resonate with one another. Yes, the details in our stories are different but the truth in another’s story is also within us, too. After watching a few of these stories, I find myself remembering that we are all connected and inseparable.
“The initial four “on Being” segments are emblematic of how we can learn from each other by sharing experiences and thoughts.” (Washington Post press release)
Maybe this is why we’re seeing more organizations embrace this approach to connect to their viewers and readers.
Over to you- what do you think?
• Can organizations use video narratives as a way to learn from one another?
• Are video narratives an effective way to genuinely engage employees and its customers?
• In a time of information saturation, should organizations integrate narratives into their communications efforts? If so, how?
• Can our individual stories be part of a larger brand’s story?
Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford
helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing
employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their
brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable
films. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.
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February 22, 2009
05:10 pm | 0 recommendations | Be the first to comment
For some reason, we’re born to think that whatever we learn first about something continues to stay true.
“According to the first law of knowledge, people continue to believe whatever they learned first, regardless of later evidence against it.” (Tom Snyder/Kevin Kearns: “Escaping the Price-Driven Sale”)
Here’s a perfect example.
Someone says to you, “Want to watch a corporate video?”
C’mon. Admit it.
You’re rolling your eyes and thinking: “Are you kidding? They’re boring!”
That’s the law of first knowledge in action.
Your first response to seeing a corporate video was probably something like: “They must all be boring.”
Remember, the law of first knowledge says: “All of us have a tendency to see only the things that confirm what we already believe.” (Tom Snyder/Kevin Kearns)
Now along comes Honda.
What do they do?
They produce a dramatic, engaging new documentary series called “Dream the Impossible.”
So here’s the question:
What would you believe about corporate videos if Honda’s “Dream the Impossible” was the first video you saw?
Veteran filmmaker Thomas Clifford helps Fortune 100's to non-profits who are stuck, frustrated, losing employees or market share because they can't breathe life into their brand story. He believes remarkable organizations deserve remarkable films. Tom produces films with passion and purpose at Moving Pictures, a firm connecting companies and audiences through compelling visual communications.
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