Storyworthy // sense-making studio & visual storytelling
Data Visualisation for Storytelling — day 0 (preparation)
I came across this book —“Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling”. Book by Matthew Dicks. Well, not from reading them at first, but from listening to a Podcast.
In here he introduces me to start my journaling habits where I at least have 1 event (could be more) that could be meaningful or tiny moments where I remember that day and this goes on and off until today. I did this semi-religiously for a few months, and then forgot about it.
What are stories that worth sharing and make impressions for our audience? I am INFJ tested, which are highly sensitive (creative) person and hate conflicts, which this also reflects on my storytelling journey. A few years ago when I am still university undergrad, moving from my home and living abroad, I used to be very open, share everything from how I was raised up, now I select (filter) my words and very careful to what I share, most of my friend told that I am secretive and they likely to not know what is going on my mind.
Storytelling as transformative practice — day 1
This is true that you need to be resourceful, knowledgeable, and easy-to-approach to grab attention and trust from your audience. Diverse storytelling — a powerful tool for change.
Stories are what our life is made of, it is the way we communicate and store information. Being able to tell stories in a captivating and informative way is what will make you stand out to audiences — being your tutor, potential employer or uni crush. Intrigued? Were given this data resource working on covid-19 cases and how we can help to make our reader easy to be understood.
Everything starts with a brief.
A screenshot from the presentation delivered during the storytelling workshop
A screenshot from the presentation delivered during the storytelling workshop outlining first three steps for designing a compelling story
To be able to evoke people’s emotions, you need to understand what they care about and what triggers them.
When we feel….we take actions. The formula is simple: Understanding + Inspiration = Action
During the workshop, Ibrahim provided some examples of successful storytelling used by big companies and politicians. In fact, almost every marketing campaign you see nowadays is presented to you as a story and that why they sell. The key is to be AUTHENTIC because hypocrisy can be easily spotted.
If you haven’t thought of how powerful emotional connection is, think of emojis. Sometimes a simple emoticon can spare you words and would be understood just as well if not better. One of the storytelling exercises for workshop participants was…! (Image below)
A screenshot of Ibrahim’s LinkedIn post reflecting on the storytelling workshop for HDR students
A screenshot of Ibrahim’s LinkedIn post reflecting on the storytelling workshop for HDR students
Theme & Medium
Once you work out the brief, the next step is to pick a theme and a medium. What is one overarching theme that you want your audience to see/hear in your story? Are you telling your story or writing it down?
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling workshop delivered to HDR students
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling workshop delivered to HDR students
Telling stories for an academic or professional audience would surely be different to storytelling in a circle of friends. Yet, both of the activities can and should be fun!
Some of the HDR students who participated in the workshop volunteered to present their research in one minute, following Ibrahim’s suggestions on how to make people pay attention from the start.
‘We live in the world that is always shaking’, was the starting line of Sahar who is working on a research that aims to reduce the consequences of the earthquakes.
‘The percentage of women entrepreneurs in technology is less than in other industries’, said Sancheeta when presenting her work on challenges female entrepreneurs face.
You can notice a common feature here — both of storytellers played with our imagination, provided us with a scenario. And that is a key to making people listen.
If you can provide a visualisation of what you are talking about, like a photo of a person or a scene, you are guaranteed to connect the audience emotionally.
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling with Ibrahim’s example
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling with Ibrahim’s example — the story of 01Gov
Storyboard & prototype
Approach storytelling like any other project you’ve been working on during your student or professional years. You gather facts and ideas, organise and link them to create a unified vision. Those series of ‘scenes’ is what makes your storyboard. Here you can be as visual as you wish, draw on the actual board and connect the dots, move the arrows, erase and add new elements until you get a ‘story’.
This is your prototype. Test it out with someone who falls in your target audience or your team, collect their feedback and make necessary changes.
‘It is important not to assume how others will interpret your words but actually ask them what they think’. It is very easy to fall victim of your own bias so diversity of opinions is crucial.
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling outlining 7 steps for the story design process
A screenshot from the presentation on storytelling outlining 7 steps for the story design process
The last two steps as you could have guessed are actually telling the story and getting feedback.
Delivery & Feedback
Delivery of your story is equally important to the content. Think outside the box, put on a show, a performance that judges, colleagues and passers-by would remember. If you are pitching your research or start-up idea and know who your judges/clients will be, research their interests and make sure that there is a part in your delivery that would speak to them personally. By investing time in the design of the performance, you are investing in a long-lasting memory of yourself and your project.
Lastly, reflect on your ‘show’ and draw some lessons. Did you see the audience following your narrative? Did someone say they could relate? If something doesn’t go as planned, note down the areas that could be improved and shine brighter next time!
Who in the world solves the challenges really well? With principles how do they solve the challenge and what are some principles?
Ideation formations:
- PARALLEL WORLDS
bushfire> drought and severe hot climate weather
Principles
Ideas
2. Break the rules
What are all the rules, norms, and status quo to this challenge?
Rule:
3. Random objects
4. DCOVA Frameworks for decision making
Define the data that you want to study in order to solve a problem or meet an objective
collect the data from appropriate sources
organise the data (table), visualise the data (charts)
Analyse the data (research conclusions and present those results)
