Before Stories, There Was Fire

Storytelling did not begin as art. It began as survival.

Fifty thousand years ago, a group of early humans gather around a fire as darkness falls. The fire is an innovative technology; it has only been around for a few hundred thousand years, not enough time to reshape the species, but enough to change everything about how humans lived.

Fire means cooked food. Fire means warmth. Fire means light after sunset, which means time. And in that time, around those fires, something extraordinary happens. Humans begin to share experiences that could not be learned individually without considerable risk. Where did danger lie? The elder described the waterhole to the north, how it looked safe, but how his brother had died there, taken by something that emerged from the reeds. Which plants were safe to eat? The woman who had foraged for thirty seasons explained the difference between two similar-looking berries: one nourishing, one deadly and told the story of the child who made the wrong choice. Who could be trusted? The hunter recounted how one member of a neighbouring group had helped him when he was injured, and how that debt had been repaid. What happened when rules were broken? The group shared the story of the man who stole from the community and the consequences.

These tales were not entertainment, though they may have entertained. They were simulations of reality. Survival information was encoded in memorable form. A story was not ‘content’ in our modern sense. It was a cognitive technology for transmitting critical wisdom. Stories were taught across the generations without requiring each person to risk their life to learn them firsthand.

My new How to Be a Storyteller is planned for release late tomorrow.

Watch your Language: banish TLAs, T-Shirt Sizing and Crisis Talk.

Talk simply, in real English.

TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms, yes, the irony) hide important matters behind jargon. Every industry has them. Tech has API, SaaS, and SDK. Business has ROI, KPI, and OKR. Education has CPD, PGCE, and QTS. And let’s not start on medicine or conversations with our financial adviser.

They serve a purpose within an expert community; it’s a shorthand which can save time when everyone shares the same context. But they become barriers when overused, new people feel excluded, and clarity suffers.

If you cannot explain it without the acronym, admit that you do not understand it well enough.

‘T-shirt sizing’ and such practices cause a similar challenge. This of course is the approach of estimating effort or complexity by assigning labels like Small, Medium, Large, XL, as if projects were garments.

Is it a cool and neat idea, or is it avoiding the rigorous work of getting precise? My own experience is too often the latter. If a project is ‘Large,’ what does that mean? Three months? Six? Ten people or two? £50,000 or £200,000?

T-shirt sizing might feel collaborative and agile, but often it is vagueness masquerading as methodology. Insist on a number; precision requires effort.

And be careful with the drama. Is it urgent or is someone hiding their poor planning? Is it really a crisis or did the Project Manager not do their job? When I am working with a client they will often remark on how much more we achieve when I am in the room. There’s no magic and it’s not complicated. That’s because I insist on an agenda, minimise the gossip and turn vagueness into precision.

Action: watch your language! Be simple (but not simplistic), concrete and drama free.

In The Pipeline

An addition to the Companion series, each of which is intended to be a fast and relevant read.

The new addition is How to Be a Storyteller for novelists, speakers and brand ambassadors. I hope to have it available on kindle later this week.

Currently in the companion series:

How to Beat ChatGPT or How Not to Lose your Job to AI; MEDS: The Powerful Daily Wellness Strategy; Do Less and Achieve More, the power of Pareto; The Tools of Excelelence: things and ideas and approaches for effecting daily brilliance.

All are available on amazon kindle: instant, budget and worldwide.

Michael Wade has a new book out

I read the kindle version over the weekend and I believe the paper version is now available. Here’s my amazon review:

Michael is an established business writer via his blog, sub-stack and leadership books but I believe this is his first novel.

It is excellent. There are no explicit spoilers in my review, simply to say it is highly enjoyable, intriguing and well-written. Characters are wonderfully drawn, the plot has pace and I love the language in which it was written. Highly recommended. Five star.

Story Telling

o Storytelling often works where formal methods fail: it holds attention, supports memory, and motivates.

o Storytelling is rarely taught despite its effectiveness.

o Stories evolve through telling. As a speaker I have noticed that this iterative approach improves a story until it reaches a ‘steady state’ where it is at its most effective, and further embellishment lessens its power. When I write, I iterate until the scene is ‘just right’.

o Slides can kill engagement: PowerPoint easily creates barriers, drains energy, and makes speakers script-readers rather than communicators.

o Unplugged often works better: voice, pause, drama, props, and stories create more powerful engagement than decks with 87 slides. Of course, it demands practice, rehearsal, and the management of discomfort and fear, which is why many avoid such an ‘unplugged’ approach.

o Stories transfer ideas intact: they enable understanding to travel from one consciousness to another without loss of potency.

o Storytelling is universal: whether you are a teacher, speaker, or brand manager, it is THE medium through which ideas land.

Go tell a story.

Michael Wade

has a new book. I’m 50% through it and thoroughly enjoying it. Marvellous language and a smart plot. Get your copy instantly here.