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Storytelling Techniques: Chronology vs. Storytelling

reimagine pr checklist“I absolutely couldn’t put the grocery list down, it was that riveting,” said no one ever.

Lists are helpful.

They are orderly.

They are pleasing because they tame chaos.

But by and large, they do not move you.

Or shift your opinion.

Or lift the veil from your eyes, although why you’re walking around with a veil over your eyes is beyond me.

Seriously.

Chronologies are like lists:
They are helpful ways of ordering what would otherwise be unmanageable.

They bring calm.

And sense.

But they are decidedly lacking in soul juice.

Very few chronologies will give you anything more than a good run down of what a brand says it did when.

Lists can be cunning liars:
We don’t even necessarily take it as truth. We know that none of the messy stuff probably made it into the chronology. History belongs to whomever pays the historian. So I throw up a little in my mouth every time I go to a website and their “our story” or “about us” is a chronology.

Because for the most part, nobody cares:
Oh sure, Chronologies have their places. But people don’t make buying or donation decisions based on facts. They make decisions based on how they feel about a brand. And whether or not they trust it.

They are looking for connection:
They are looking for a sense of shared values. They want to know that your brand is not soulless, faceless, or uncaring. They want to know that you are human. And that what matters to them matters to you.

Chronologies like lists have their place:
But they’re not stories. And they can’t create connection the way stories can. So if your website has as much brand personality as a phone book, you aren’t just missing an opportunity. You’re hurting sales and alienating the very people your site was supposed to woo.

And while I wasn’t in any of the briefings, I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that wasn’t on anyone’s lists of goals for the site.

Susan McLennan

Susan McLennan

Founder at ReImaginePR
Susan McLennan helps brands become better storytellers both through the media and through direct and digital communications. She is an award-winning communicator with a background in television production who has secured media coverage through some of the top media outlets in the world and created content that has won hearts and changed minds locally, nationally and internationally.
Susan McLennan

@SusanMcLennan