Five step storytelling framework
Zoom into the moment
In her mid-20s, Sarah Willingham was running acquisitions at Pizza Express, driving the company’s growth through new sites and deals.
One day, she walked into a meeting room two minutes late. A lawyer on the other side of the table looked up and said: “Thank goodness. Mine’s a flat white with one sugar.”
She paused. Smiled. Then calmly went to make him a coffee. Returning, she placed it in front of him and asked if anyone else wanted one. Nobody did. She poured herself one, sat back opposite him and waited. As the realisation dawned, colour drained from the lawyer’s face.
What looked like a disastrous start, Sarah skilfully worked to her advantage as she secured a deal.
Storytelling framework
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to engage and inspire people. The goal isn’t just to describe a scene, but to bring it to life so the audience can see, feel and place themselves in it. Don’t tell them about the moment, put them there. The following five step framework does that:
Place: “The lift hums as it carries me up to the 7th floor.”
Action: “I shuffle my notes, pretending to read.”
Thought: “If asked about market growth rates then I’m in trouble.”
Emotion (shown): “I can feel my hands shaking as my pulse quickens.”
Dialogue: “‘Hello, Phil. You’re early,’ my manager says.”
That’s a story spine. Add detail where it helps, cut where it doesn’t.
1. Place
Begin with the place: put the reader somewhere they can stand, smell and look around. - John McPhee
Start with location. Say where you are.
“Two weeks ago I was on the sofa in my living room.”
“It’s 8:57am on Monday. I’m outside the glass fronted meeting room.”
When we name a place, audiences render a scene from their memory. Don’t drown them in decor (“oak coffee table, big TV, light blue carpet”). The point isn’t accuracy, it’s anchoring. One clear noun (“airport,” “kitchen,” “boardroom”) teleports.
2. Action
Drama is life with the dull bits cut out. - Alfred Hitchcock
What are you doing right now in that scene? Use verbs.
“My mobile grabs my attention with a text message labelled ‘Urgent’.”
“I’m inching forward at passport control.”
Action is momentum. Verbs promise we’re not about to get a five-minute prelude. The story is already happening and we’re already in it.
3. Thought
The most powerful stories show us not just what people do, but what they think while doing it. - Robert McKee
Reveal through thought. Let us hear your head, not your résumé.
Not: “I was excited.”
Better: “Okay, this is it. Say something interesting.”
Not: “I felt disappointed.”
Better: “Bugger. I knew I blown my opportunity.”
Raw, slightly messy thoughts feel real because they are how people think: short, biased, sometimes neurotic. Avoid corporate speak (“This represents a supreme opportunity”). You’re a person, not a press release.
4. Emotion (shown)
Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream. - Mark Twain
Naming emotions is fine. Showing them is better.
“I lean back, exhaling slowly.”
“I laugh too quickly, voice a little high.”
We don’t experience feelings as labels; we experience them as bodies doing things. Show the body and the audience supplies the label.
5. Dialogue
Dialogue is the melody of a story. If it rings false, the whole song collapses. - Elmore Leonard
Let dialog do the heavy lifting. When other people are in the scene, let them talk.
Instead of “My manager was disappointed,” say:
“‘Philip, do you want to try that again?’”
Instead of “My friend was happy,” say:
“‘Thanks for the dad joke card. That’s a new one on me.’”
Dialogue is plot, character and pace in one tool. Keep it tight, specific and slightly heightened, true to life but edited for impact.
Other resources
How to Tell Better Stories talk by Matthew Dicks
Eight Writing Tips post by Phil Martin
How to Craft Compelling Business Stories in 6 Steps post by Phil Martin
Let me close with an observation from Steve Jobs. “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.”
Have fun.
Phil…
