Every company is driven by a core purpose. Whether it’s a concise mission statement or a set of core values, that purpose should drive all the stories your company tells. Narrowing down your company’s greater purpose will help you focus on the best path to achieve it. Microsoft’s mission statement “Empowering Others” is a call […]
Case studies provide important insight for clients to understand your work and process. But they can’t do for your product or service what storytelling can. Show customers the journey of creating your product, including the mistakes and failures. Show clients the joy and love that come with breakthroughs and success. Steve Clayton and I spoke […]
“Culture is the result of the environment we create,” according to Microsoft Chief Storyteller Steve Clayton. The behaviors and values of every member of your company, from upper management to the surrounding outside community, contributes to the culture. And as the culture shifts naturally over time, it can be hard for your company to keep […]
“The essence of any great story is people.” We build empathy, explore ideas, and get to know one another through the stories we tell and the way we tell them. In my third interview with Steve Clayton, I asked the difference between conveying information and telling a story. His answer begins with, “Let’s imagine.” He […]
While standard advertisements can sell your company’s product or service, an engaging narrative can also sell your company’s values, culture, and people. In the second part of my interview series with Microsoft Chief Storyteller Steve Clayton, we break down the differences between product marketing and business storytelling. In our interview, Clayton explains that using a […]
Storytelling is one of the most important parts of the human experience. Prehistoric humans drew pictures in caves, our ancestors passed down oral stories and treasured artifacts, and today, we share our lives digitally all day long. Earlier this summer, I sat down with an expert at telling stories in the business world, Microsoft Chief […]
Vern Oakley, the founder, CEO and Creative Director of Tribe Pictures, shares eight lessons gleaned from running an all-volunteer international association of film producers that can help you better manage global teams or departments.
In Vern Oakley’s book Leadership in Focus he devoted an entire chapter to one video that was developed by Microsoft’s Chief Storyteller Steve Clayton. In this interview they discuss the story behind the story of introducing their CEO to the world using video.
Video has become such a staple of our lives that it’s tempting to lump all the different kinds of video together in one big, messy category. But that’s not entirely accurate. I personally think of informational corporate video content very differently than I think about videos that are intended to make an emotional connection with […]
The current crisis has companies thinking about a new kind of story to tell in their corporate communications. The pandemic is confining millions of people to their homes, straining health care systems, and making the daily routines of life more complicated. Many corporations are raising their voice and know they have a leadership role to […]