Film and TV writers, directors, and actors are professional storytellers. So are people in advertising, marketing, sales, and PR. Journalists. CEOs. Entrepreneurs. Leaders.
What do all these groups have in common?
To understand storytelling, it seems clear that we need to define “story,” and as you may know, there are many different perspectives.
- Aristotle: “A whole [story] has a beginning, middle, and end.”
- Author E.M. Forster: “[A story is] a narrative of events arranged in their time sequence. [A plot is] a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality.”
- Screenwriting teacher Blake Snyder: “A story is a structured journey where every beat serves to engage audiences emotionally and propel characters toward transformation.”
- Marketing guru Seth Godin: “A story is the shorthand humans use to process and communicate their understanding of the world. Great stories resonate because they align with our worldview and make promises that feel true.”
- Journalist Walter Cronkite: “A story is an accurate and concise account of events that informs and empowers people to understand their world.”
- Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin: “A story is about intention and obstacle. Somebody wants something, and something is standing in their way of getting it. The greater the stakes and the more insurmountable the obstacles, the better the story.”
- Business communication expert Nancy Duarte: “Sales stories are like hero’s journeys where the prospect is at the center. They personalize information, make data relatable, and inspire action.”
- Author Maya Angelou: “A story is a way to reclaim identity and transform pain into beauty. It connects us through shared humanity and leaves a legacy for future generations.”
- Professor of Literature Joseph Campbell: “A story is a hero’s journey—a universal pattern of departure, initiation, and return.”
- Author Isaac Asimov: “A story is a sequence of events that explores human problems and solutions.”
- Journalist Lester Holt: “Storytelling is when you take people on a journey.”
- Author J.K. Rowling: “A story is the journey of characters through a narrative arc, where every detail serves a purpose—whether to advance the plot, deepen characterization, or explore themes.”
- Business guru Scott Alexander: “A story is a sequence of events that illustrates ideas or moral principles by connecting abstract concepts to human experiences.”
- Author Stephen King: “A story is made up of three parts: narration, which moves the story from point A to point B and finally to point Z; description, which creates a sensory reality for the reader; and dialogue, which brings characters to life through their speech.”
Perhaps this is just my left brain superimposing an artificially rigid framework… but I want a definition of “story” to have clarity and precision similar to the definition of “3-4-5 right triangle.”
In engineering, architecture, manufacturing, construction, etc., whether a triangle is a truly right triangle (read: has a 90-degree angle) matters to the stability and strength of the structure. It’s important to know if a triangle is a right triangle or not.
Similarly, I believe it’s important to know if something is a story or not, and therefore, if we are storytelling or not. That’s why the storytelling for technology approach defines terms and applies fundamental principles in a more “mathematical” way.
But… before we dive in….
Is this really necessary?
The terms “storytelling,” “storyteller,” and story” are flexible. So what? This is how language works. Like a lot of words, they can mean different things depending on the context.
Totally true. And if that flexibility works for you, that’s cool with me.
The derivation of my more “mathematical” definition starts with looking at the difference between storytelling for entertainment and storytelling for business. Or, feel free to skip to the definition of story.