© IDEO 2016

Storytelling
for Influence
Toolkit
TOOLKIT — INTRODUCTION

The Power of Storytelling

Stories can move, mobilize, and motivate people toward change and action.
Here’s our framework to design powerful stories that influence.

1. DEVELOP YOUR BLUEPRINT 2. DESIGN FOR IMPACT 3. BUILD STORYTELLING

PROTOTYPES
Set your story up for success by identifying your Fine-tune your story so that it resonates with your
stakeholders, their needs, and your big idea. audience and stays with them long after they leave Don’t race to a final story—create distinct versions to
the meeting. engage others in the process and get more buy-in.

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TOOLKIT — THE SCIENCE OF STORYTELLING

The Science of Storytelling

There’s actual cold, hard science behind how storytelling works. Narrative sticks
in our brain, moves us (literally), and increases empathy.

Storytelling can MOVE US HELP US REMEMBER

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) When we hear powerful and emotional stories, our
machines show that certain language (such as, brain often releases dopamine. Dopamine helps us
descriptive and figurative) lights up neurological remember the experience with greater accuracy.
regions that incite action and movement.

INCREASE EMPATHY ENCOURAGE COOPERATION

Psychologists and neurologists have found that Our brain produces oxytocin after listening to a
stories stimulate the parts of the brain that helps us character-driven story. Oxytocin has been shown to
intuit others’ thoughts and emotions. help motivate us toward cooperation.

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TOOLKIT — CHOOSE YOUR THEME

Choose Your Theme

Before you move forward, you’re going to want to choose a theme that will help
frame the story you’ll work on throughout the course. Take a closer look at each.

THEME 1: SHOW ME THE MONEY THEME 3: I HAVE A DREAM

Being a creative leader can be challenging, stressful, and taxing. Even Creative leaders of the world spark change in bold and innovative ways.
with the most rock solid of teams, you still might find yourself needing Whether you’re trying to find new opportunities for conserving water or
more support. More staff. More money. More time. More productivity. fighting to spread awareness and create solutions around homelessness
It’s all part of the process. Maybe you’re getting a startup off the ground, in your city, you’ve got to tell a story that inspires others to
and your team is spread too thin. How might you tell a compelling story join your cause, back you monetarily, or mobilize others around your
that convinces your funder to invest more money so that you can bring ideas.
on new talent?

Using words, paint the picture of what you need and why you need it. What’s your world-changing idea? Get people excited about your cause.

THEME 2: MY TIME TO SHINE THEME 4: CRAFT YOUR OWN

Talking about yourself is hard. You don’t want to sound too boastful or Are you working on a pitch that needs a compelling story? Now’s your
too bashful. You have to strike the right balance—and fast. Think of it chance to get early feedback and buy-in before that story goes out into
as an elevator pitch for you to demonstrate your abilities. You have your the world and reaches a larger audience.
boss or manager’s attention for thirty seconds (or until you reach the top
floor). Where do you start? What main points do you need to make?

Craft the story that will motivate your boss or manager toward action—
in this case, enabling you to take on new responsibilities.

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TOOLKIT — FRAME YOUR CHALLENGE

Assignment: Frame Your Challenge

Now it’s time to choose your topic. What story do you want to tell? How and why
will you motivate your audience toward action? You can try out a few and see
which one is most interesting and relevant.

Challenge WHAT’S YOUR CHALLENGE? MAYBE…

We’ll help you frame your challenge with a simple I want to tell a story about my leadership skills, so
Mad Lib exercise. Fill in the blanks: that I can get a promotion.
[CAUSE]
“I want to tell a story about ,
OR…
[ACTION]
so that I can .”
I want to tell a story about a nonprofit I volunteer
for, so that I can inspire others to donate money to
our Thanksgiving fundraiser.

OR EVEN…

I want to tell a story about a high-risk, high-reward

strategy for my firm, so that I can make my team
comfortable with investing in the approach.

NovoEd
Platform
Submission
You’ll type and submit these responses
directly on the platform.

IDEO U • STORYTELLING FOR INFLUENCE • TOOLKIT • © IDEO 2016 5

 Lesson 1:
Develop your
Blueprint

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Develop Your Blueprint

IDEO U Lesson Overview
Before you can tell a great story, you need a blueprint to focus your narrative.
In this lesson, you’ll zero in on your audience, their needs, and the impact you’re
trying to achieve. An empathic mindset is key.

Lesson videos Assignment Mindset

THE BRIEF Design the blueprint for your story by locking down
your big idea and drafting your brief.
EMPATHIZE with your
Know thy audience.

THE BIG IDEA

audience.
Stay focused.

THE MEDIUM
Ways to tell your story.
In a nutshell activity TOOLS
Pen, paper, the internet.

Practice being concise to help you hone in on your

big idea. LEARNING GOAL
Set yourself—and your story—up for success by
identifying your audience, their needs, and the
problem you aim to solve.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

The Brief
You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint. In the same way, you shouldn’t
tell a story without a brief. It’s an integral part of your overall design. A brief is
an action plan that clarifies who you’re talking to, what they care about, and what
you’re trying to achieve.

Components of the brief

1. WHO’S YOUR AUDIENCE? 2. WHAT DOES YOUR AUDIENCE 3.WHAT ARE YOU TRYING
CARE ABOUT? TO ACHIEVE?
Zeroing in on this is important. You might get this by
simply looking at the invite list for a meeting. But it Think about the underlying human needs of your Identify what you’re trying to unlock with your story
isn’t always that easy. The more specific you can be, audience. Don’t just stop at the first thing that comes and what you want people to do. Remember, you’re
the better. to mind. People are complex. So are their needs! trying to motivate people toward change.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

The Big Idea

It’s important to get to the point and stick to the point, so your audience is
clear about what you’re asking of them. Bombarding them with too much
information isn’t going to serve you or your cause. Less is more.

The big idea is... Three questions to keep

What your story is really about. It’s the one thing you
your big idea in check:
want to stick with your audience. Think of yourself as 1. DOES YOUR BIG IDEA CAPTURE
the director of a film that people have already shown A PROBLEM YOU’RE TRYING TO
up to see. What’s the one thing you want them to SOLVE?
remember when they’re driving home afterward?
There’s probably something you’re trying to change.

2. IS IT COMPELLING?
People should be inspired to action after hearing it.

3. IS IT CLEAR AND CONCISE?

People need to be able to digest your idea quickly.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON ACTIVITY

“In a Nutshell” DIRECTIONS: Choose a topic and then capture the logline.

Pen and Internet connection.

Activity WHAT YOU NEED

Follow these two steps:

1 CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
Here’s a great way to practice We’ve jotted down a few options for you. Pick one. If you’re not feeling any of them, feel free to
being concise by capturing a movie choose your own!

logline. It’s important to note here • Pick a film: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Godfather, or Gone with the Wind

that this isn’t the same thing as • P ick a book: The Lord of the Rings (any of the three), War and Peace, or Tale of Two Cities

identifying your big idea. Writing •Choose your own. Your favorite book or film.
You tell us!
movie loglines is just one way to
practice getting clear and concise.
The big idea is the single point
you’re trying to make through
your story. The logline is the one
to two sentence summary of a piece
of work.

2 CAPTURE THE LOGLINE

How would you break it down into one clear and
concise sentence?

RECOMMENDED TIME
10-15 minutes

TYPE OF ACTIVITY
Individual

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

The Medium Slide Experiences Digital, interac-

presentations tive stories
+ PORTABLE + ENGAGING + ENCOURAGE LEARNING
BY DOING
+ +
+
+ +

Now it’s time to think about the + +

+

medium you’ll use to convey your +

story. To get you started, we’ve list- - S TATIC - COMPLEX

- T
 ECHNICAL EXPERTISE
ed some strengths and weaknesses - - REQUIRED
of different mediums and invite - - -
you to add to it. Think about how - - -
a medium helps you convey your
story. Jot down the pros and cons -

of each medium as it relates to your

specific story.
Physical spaces Videos
+ INVITES PARTICIPATION + EMOTIONAL

+ +

+ +

+ +

- L OGISTICALLY
CHALLENGING - C OSTLY

RECOMMENDED TIME - -
15 minutes minimum
- -

- -
TYPE OF ACTIVITY
Individual

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TOOLKIT — LESSON 1 ASSIGNMENT

Lesson 1 Assignment:
Define Your Blueprint
Now it’s time to set yourself up for success by identifying your audience, their
needs, and what you’re trying to achieve.

1. Return to your challenge 3. Identify your big idea

What’s the story you want to tell? What’s the one idea you’re trying to convey with your story?

This isn’t a summary. It’s the compelling idea at the heart of your story.

2. Write your brief REMEMBER: BRIEF + BIG IDEA = BLUEPRINT

We’ve broken the brief into three major questions:

A . WHO’S YOUR AUDIENCE?

Remember: Get specific. While you may eventually want to share your
4. Reflect on the medium
story with the whole world, at this stage you need a targeted audience. Think about the medium for your story. Which one is best for telling your
You can always adapt to different audiences later. story and why?

B. WHAT DOES YOUR AUDIENCE CARE ABOUT?

What’s the underlying human need in the audience that might move
them to action? Consider their emotional needs and pain points.

C. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHEIVE? NovoEd

Identify what you’re trying to unlock with your story and what you want
people to do. Remember, you’re trying to motivate people toward change. Platform
Submission
You’ll type and submit these responses
directly on the platform.

IDEO U • STORYTELLING FOR INFLUENCE • TOOLKIT • © IDEO 2016 12

 Lesson 2:
Build Storytelling
Prototypes

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Build Storytelling Prototypes

IDEO U Lesson Overview
Prototyping is a great way to get your story out of your head and into the hands of
others for feedback and buy-in. The “be brave” mindset will help you get tangible
and comfortable with sharing ideas that are in progress. In this lesson, you’ll get
hands-on experience with building, sharing, and reflecting your way forward.

Lesson videos Assignment Mindset

WHY PROTOTYPE?
Get feedback and buy-in.
Prototype as you build, share, and reflect on the best
ways to tell your story and motivate your audience
BE BRAVE
toward action.
WAYS TO PROTOTYPE AND
TOOLS
BUILD YOUR STORY
A recording device, a timer (you can use your
Low-risk ways to share
smartphone for both), post-its, sharpie, pen,
your story.
Hero activity and napkin.
INVITE FEEDBACK TO
LEARNING GOAL
STRENGTHEN YOUR STORY Craft a quick story about an early childhood hero. Conquer the challenge of facing a blank page and get
Iterate, iterate, iterate.
your story started. By exploring ways to prototype
your story, you will learn how to shape it, share it
with others, and make it stronger.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Why Prototype
At IDEO, prototyping is a huge part of our process. The faster you get your ideas
in front of others, the faster you can incorporate the feedback and improve
your prototype. Buy-in is important when you need to inspire others to back your
story, invest in it, or believe in it.

EXAMPLES OF PROTOTYPING THREE STEPS FOR PROTOTYPING

A STORY
1 BUILD. Write a rough draft. And don’t worry about
+ Writing a rough draft making it perfect! We believe in “failing early to
succeed sooner.”
+ Talking an idea through with a friend
2 SHARE . The more you get your story in front of
+ Outlining with Post-It notes others, the better it will get. Invite others to help
shape and support your vision.
+ Creating a storyboard
3 REFLECT. Think about what others had to say.
Rely on your gut when deciding which feedback to
incorporate.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Ways to Prototype & Build Your Story

Get creative! You don’t even need a pen and paper. All you need is a phone, some
friends or colleagues, and a local pub (or cafe).

HIT RECORD THE BAR TEST

Hit record on your voice memo and just start talking. Tell your story over drinks at a bar (cafe, restaurant,
That way, you won’t get stuck in your head. Speak or wherever). Just get out of the office.
naturally and from the heart. Let the words roll out of Don’t overthink it. Simply tell it. And then invite
your mouth and into the world. feedback to make your story stronger for the next
round.

POST-IT-PALOOZA

Grab some post-its and stick your thoughts on the wall.

Get your “intro,” “main points,” and “conclusion” up
there. You might know how to end your story, but not
how to begin, and that’s okay. Once you see it start to
take shape, it will be easier to see what’s missing.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Invite Feedback to Strengthen Your Story

Once you’ve got a draft of your story, you’ll need to invite feedback. You can start
by asking a series of deliberate questions to really get your audience thinking.
Then reflect on what you learned.

QUESTIONS TO PROMPT STEPS FOR REFLECTING

FEEDBACK
1 RETURN TO YOUR BLUEPRINT. Compare the
1 What was most memorable? feedback to your brief and big idea—are you getting
all the points across that you meant to make?

2 What do you have questions about?

2 GET PHYSICAL . Write each piece of feedback on
a post-it and then place it near the part of the story
3 What moved or motivated you?
it refers to. What stands out to you?

4 What, in your opinion, was the big idea?

3 L ET IT BREATHE . Take a step back and sit with
your feedback. If it stung a little, forget about it for
REMEMBER: We’re not just telling stories for fun. a while. Time often brings clarity.
We want our audience to take action. So we need to
know what’s important to them. What did they find to
4 R EVISE YOUR DRAFT. Experiment with what
be moving and inspiring?
works. Maybe you need to restructure certain
main points or maybe you need to add some visual
or descriptive language. It’s all about making your
story as impactful as it can be.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON ACTIVITY

Hero Activity PURPOSE: Practice prototyping by just getting started.

WHAT YOU NEED Pen, a recording device, and a timer. (Your
smartphone is a good option for both).

Prompt
Think back to when you were 10 The more connected you are to a topic, the more natural it feels to tell a story about it.
years old. Who was your hero or Words just flow more easily when something is near and dear to your heart.

heroine? Maybe your parent or Think back to childhood. Who was your hero? Think about it for one minute. Then think
teacher. Or maybe a public figure about what made you look up to that person (minute two). And finally, using your recording
device, explain and capture how those values shaped who you are today (minute three).
or fictional character. Often, these
early role models have a significant
effect on our values later in life.
Here’s a quick prototyping activity
to help you warm up, in three
minutes or less.

RECOMMENDED TIME
3 minutes

TYPE OF ACTIVITY
Individual

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TOOLKIT — LESSON 2 ASSIGNMENT

Lesson 2 Assignment:
Prototype Your Story
Now it’s time to prototype your story. Follow our three steps: build, share,
and reflect.

1. Build your story. 3. Reflect on the feedback.

So, you’ve got your blueprint—your brief and your big idea. Now choose As you reflect, consider the steps discussed in the “Invite Feedback”
one of the “Ways to Prototype & Build Your Story” and have some fun video to prepare for any revisions. Revision (and iterating your story)
with it. is an important practice in this course. Even when you’re not crafting a
completely new version of your story, make little tweaks to incorporate
Record the audio if you chose Hit Record, snap a photo of your work if feedback.
you chose Post-It-Palooza, or film your conversation if you chose The Bar
Test.

2. Share your draft.

Find three to five people to provide you with feedback—family, friends,
colleagues (or your Breakout group). Aim for at least two responses to
each of the following questions.

• What was most memorable? NovoEd

• What do you have questions about?
Platform
• What moved or motivated you?
• What, in your opinion, was the big idea? Submission
You’ll type and submit these responses
directly on the platform.

IDEO U • STORYTELLING FOR INFLUENCE • TOOLKIT • © IDEO 2016 19

 Lesson 3:
Design for
Impact

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Design for Impact

IDEO U Lesson Overview
There are a lot of elements involved in telling a great story that motivates others
toward action. The “be inspiring” mindset is critical for leaders. This lesson will
help you build your skills around tone, style, and creating impact.

Lesson videos Assignment Mindset

SETTING THE RIGHT TONE
Why tone is everything.
Fine-tune your story to make it resonate with your
audience.
BE INSPIRING
LEARN FROM A TOOLS

Dear (Queen of England) Pen, paper, and your computer.

PRESENTATION THAT
FALLS FLAT
What not to do.
Activity LEARNING GOAL
Move and motivate your audience toward action
LEARN FROM A using tone and other tips for making your story
PRESENTATION THAT Practice striking the right tone with the lost art of impactful.
MOVES YOU letter writing.
An invitation to imagine.

6 TIPS FOR STORY IMPACT

From good to great.

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

Setting the Right Tone

It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. Don’t be the boring professor who
lulls students to sleep. Motivate them to get out there and change the world. When
it comes to effective communication, tone is everything.

YOUR TONE CHECKLIST

DO’S DON’TS
Speak from the heart Sound like a robot

Speak naturally Believe that smarter = more formal

Speak thoughtfully Speak in dry, business-y language

Speak passionately

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TOOLKIT — LESSON ACTIVITY

Dear (Queen DIRECTIONS: Choose a topic and then identify the big idea.

Pen and paper. A recording device, and a timer.

of England) WHAT YOU NEED
(Your smartphone is a good option for both).
Activity
PROMPT

Write a different letter to each of the following three people, explaining why storytelling is
important:

1 Your best friend 2 A young child (eight years old) 3 The Queen of England
This activity will help you strike REMEMBER: This activity is about tone, not the power of persuasion. Use the same
the right tone for the right audience argument for all three letters, but change the words so that voice and tone are appropriate
for each recipient.
and increase the impact of your
story. Grab a pen (or quill) and We suggest first jotting down a list of talking points (i.e., your reasons why storytelling is
sheet of paper and explore the important). Then craft a story (in this case, a letter) with those talking points using the tone
that will achieve maximum impact for each audience.
power of tone.
Consider the following questions before crafting each letter:

1 What are the talking points? 2 What is the feeling you want to evoke in your audience?

RECOMMENDED TIME
25-30 minutes

TYPE OF ACTIVITY
Individual

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TOOLKIT — LESSON OVERVIEW

6 Tips for Story Impact

If a story is about a person with a problem, then you need to motivate others to
help solve that problem. You’ve got to get people excited about what you’re saying.
They have to feel it, see it, and believe it in order to create impact. Here are a few of
our favorite tips.

MAKE IT PERSONAL . MAKE IT VISUAL .

Personal stories resonate with us and move us as Choose images to paint a picture for your audience.
human beings. Everyone has a story to share. It will help your audience remember, relate to, and
respond to your story.

GET EMOTIONAL .
A lot of people will tell you otherwise. But don’t listen INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION.
to that. Sometimes you just have to be vulnerable. What do you want people to do after hearing your
story? Highlight “next steps,” “what to remember,” or
“the one thing you want them to do.”
USE ANECDOTE AND REFLECTION.
Anecdotes are the “put you in the room” moments.
Reflection is the part of the story where you help the STAY INSPIRED.
audience make sense of what they just heard. Get fuel to your creative engine. Listen to music.
Take a walk outside. Exercise. Leave the office! Just
take notice of the world around you. There are stories
everywhere!

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TOOLKIT — LESSON 3 ASSIGNMENT

Lesson 3 Assignment:
Iterate Your Story
In this lesson, you explored how to create greater impact through tone, style, and
execution. Now it’s time to enhance your story and make it more compelling.

1. Review your feedback. 3. Rewrite your story.

What feedback made your story stronger? Revisit your prototype from Lesson 2 and then iterate your manuscript
or storyboard. This version should apply the tips for story impact.
How did different perspectives change your approach?

2. Choose 2 of the “6 tips for story

impact” to make your story pop.
Commit to two tips for story impact. These include make it personal, get
emotional, use anecdote and reflection, make it visual, include a call to
action, and stay inspired.

NovoEd
Platform
Submission
You’ll type and submit these responses
directly on the platform.

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TOOLKIT — FINAL PROJECT

Final Project
It’s time to bring together everything that you learned in this course. The
intention is that you should be able to share this with your fellow learners,
team, clients, or the world at large. Continue to refine it. We can’t wait to
hear/watch/see/read your stories

1. Choose your medium.

Think about the most impactful way to share your story and the
audience you have in mind. Do you want to make a 2-4 minute video?
A 12-15 slide presentation? The decision is totally up to you. Help your
story come to life.

2. Capture your story. Prototype.

Time to get creative, have some fun, and get people motivated. Get your
story out there—tell it like only you can.

3. Share your story.

Go tell it to your friends, share it on the course platform, or use it to
create the impact you imagined in your workplace or the world at large. NovoEd
Platform
Submission
You’ll type and submit these responses
directly on the platform.

IDEO U • STORYTELLING FOR INFLUENCE • TOOLKIT • © IDEO 2016 26