Archive for the ‘Change’ Category
I’m a presenter during the Reinvention Summit next week – the first virtual summit on storytelling. In preparation, I was asked, and have been pondering the question: “what’s my relationship to reinvention and storytelling? How did I get to where I am today?” My answer: the path to Brandstoria came about in little chapters, as I wove and pieced together learning and theories that came from my experience over the years. In this first blog on the topic, I’m going to focus on the real back-story: I’ve spent my career acting on a perceived need to reinvent myself to remain marketable. To understand my approach to storytelling, it’s helpful to first revisit my twenty-one year old self. And Madonna. Read More
I’m heading off for a few days of action-packed trade show adventure at AUSA, the U.S. Army’s premiere national convention. On Monday night, I’ll participate with Brandstoria’s strategic partner in that industry, JANSON Communications, to unveil a series of events called DefenseUp designed to stir dialogue for effectively communicating during transition (you can follow this on twitter at #defenseup and read more about the service we provide: BRAND/OPS). Let’s look at the scenario: today’s world is evolving and changing at an accelerated pace. Virtually nothing remains untouched: technology, economy, media, and, if you are in the defense industry – policy. Budgets are shrinking and yet, the demands on troops – both those in defense and in the boardrooms across the US – remain unchanged. Give us more with less, is the battle cry. Perform. Make your numbers. Win. Sound familiar? Read More
My friend’s daughter Cheyenne recently created a powerful presentation on the impact of words. Her entry into a high school art exhibit featured different words such as “War,” “Love” and “Sex” artfully displayed as a collection. When she arrived on the day of the exhibit opening, however, some of the words had been covered up because an administrator deemed them “inappropriate.” I won’t get into the surrounding debate about censorship, but the saga once again reminds us that meaning attached to words is powerful, subjective and often deeply personal. Not coincidentally, Cheyenne is keenly aware of this, particularly when words are used as simplified descriptive label, through her own experience and the history lessons of her Native American heritage. Words can be charged and loaded.
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In April I attended a workshop in D.C. with the Center for Digital Storytelling where I spent 3 days creating a short digital story about a personal experience. My objective: to improve my storytelling and gain production skills to create short videos. What I learned, however, was a much deeper appreciation of the power of storytelling.