We like stories. They help to humanize, summarize and reduce the dimension of matters. Stories knit facts with a logical link that makes them easy to remember and retain. However, stories always tread a fine line of interpretation. They can go wrong when narratives can lead to a mistake in the assessment of odds.

The occurrence of an odd/ rare event, outside the realm of regular expectations is what Taleb calls a Black Swan. But aren’t stories, by definition and function, meant to be about the rare event or happening as that’s what makes them engaging? While the function of a story cannot be argued upon, I agree with Taleb that the impact of a story heavily rests upon the right context. Although the story is yours, even as a narrator you can only half control how your message is being received by your audience.

Research has proved this with studies on different neurobiological patterns in members of the audience listening to the same story. This is primarily because each one of them “receives” the story, in context to their personal life story. When I say “A big castle with beautiful gardens”, your mind uses past references from your life to compose the visual imagery based on what you’ve seen in books, television, heard from others, and each one varies from the other. Taleb reaffirms this by saying, “Abstract statistical information does not sway us as much as the anecdote- no matter how sophisticated the person.” Hence, the narrator carries great responsibility to deliver the story in the right context. In narratives, whether written or spoken, the context of your story is the winner. Be cautious when your story has a Black Swan paddling in it. Be sure to reiterate the right context by giving references, building on details such as “A big castle of stone with beautiful rose gardens”.

Such minor details and the correct word choices set the stage in which your story should be “received”. It’s these small details in the study of narratives which will continue to amuse us with the power it wields on our minds.

I was tucking into a plate of Tunday ke kabab at Lucknow unaware that my inbox carried the invitation to speak at the Kalaghoda Festival this year. What struck me first was that although Kalaghoda is synonymous with Arts and Entertainment, it was a bold move for them to take on an intensive 2 day workshop on social media for the first time. The workshop was largely aimed at people looking at social media as a vocation and especially writing for the web.

As the discussions around my session gained momentum I knew this was going to be an iconic workshop fit for a topic of my expertise- storytelling. Often an ignored element in social media, storytelling was the perfect medium to help aspiring writers for the web to understand the equation of content marketing and social media.

Social Media strategies are driven by content. The right kind of messaging makes content successful and storytelling is a medium to understanding this messaging better. All of this sounds logical but to put this in action is the real challenge. Through the two hour workshop, it was crucial for me to deliver not only why storytelling is a key to understanding messaging but also share tools on how they can implement it. Bullet points on a slide would’ve shot down the essence of storytelling in minutes. Hence, I chose a narrative technique to transform my entire presentation into a story itself. It made it easier to assimilate topics like the monomyth and detailing of the seven basic story plots.

In my past experience, I’ve seen some of the best campaigns fall flat if not fueled and nurtured with quality content. Moreover, digital Storytelling is non-linear and conversational which makes it different from conventional storytelling techniques. The workshop guided the participants on how to adapt storytelling for the online medium. Social Media is relationship technology which makes it the perfect medium to act as a ‘story carrier’ in the digital space.

Mystery of the words written by participants at the beginning of the session prevailed till the end of my talk. It was only revealed when I put forth the instructions for the activity. The room lit up as everyone made a run to ‘pluck’ their choice of words from the post-it wall. When everyone came back with their stories, it was delightful to observe the energy in the room. The best story was aptly awarded a Saraswati diary and was rightfully won by a story whose comic plot had everyone in splits.

If we look closer, each life event has a story to tell, a lesson to learn. On my way back home I couldn’t help thinking about the wonderful stories each participant carried within themselves, oblivious to the potential of these living stories. Through my series of workshop on Storytelling I aspire not only to teach businesses about power of narratives but also train the common eye to catch a shooting story.

I am thankful for the opportunity to share this passion through the illustrious platform of Kalaghoda Festival. None of this would have been possible with out Rushina who introduced me to Payal, the gracious host and I thank them both for their support.

Some of the other speakers were Moksh Juneja, Idea Smith, Nimesh & Sandhya.

Picture Story at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=286855&id=764804139&l=d1e7b9804c

In case you missed the workshop, but are keen on learning more about “Storytelling in Social Media”, I’d be happy to share some of my notes from the session. Please connect with me via www.about.me/snigdha

Shortly afterwards, here I was experiencing it first hand along with the Mumbai Food Bloggers community. I also write a food blog Now Cooking. Food for me has always been “social”. Like the British have the weather, Indians always have food to talk about as an icebreaker.

Think of the movie Avatar. Go back to the vivid depiction of cruel humans exploiting the flora and fauna of Pandora. Then finally “Nature” aka Eywa (Tree of Souls) joins in the fight against humans to launch an organized attack on them. Nature wins while greedy humans return to their planet of metal and dust. Nice story of Good wins over Evil but don’t you think this a precursor of things to come?

Natural Disasters in every corner of the globe may just be mock drills for Nature to prepare for the final assault. An early summer here in Mumbai reminds me of just that. Look further and you’ll see “Green” has become the flavor of the season. All in good taste; but one green campaign that I keep revisiting is Dell Go Green. The micro site is touching a cord with the seemingly helpless urbans who want to do much more than just donate money to an NGO for an environmental cause. Dell says forget the money. In fact let us give you some of ours but only to the genuises. It’s time to take the hands off your wallet and use them to scratch your head instead!

I often find myself browsing through the list of newly featured ideas. My personal favorite so far is charging cell phone using body heat. Even the unique idea of using kinetic energy generated by typing on keypad for charging your laptop is something I’d like to see happen soon. I may be a little biased there because batteries and I don’t get along very well. They always run out on me. Browse through the rich pool of ideas and surely you’ll find an something which clicks for you.  If you are a small/medium size business dwelling on starting a Green Campaign for too long, this is the time to act now.

1. Choose a cause which compliments your industry and position.
2. Don’t go overboard with promises. Don’t be embarrassed to start small.
3. Ask for internal volunteers from your company who would like to contribute.
4. Focus on the big picture. Produce outcome. Share results to make your exercise will seem worthwhile.

Do visit Dell Go Green Challenge, if you haven’t already. I hope to see Dell contributing to “Green Computing” in a big way. After all we don’t need to be always pretending as busy executives typing frantically on our laptops with little time to save the planet. Sometimes we must give in to our survival instincts. It’s time to give your image a makeover. Start by going Green now.

NOTE: The Dell Go Green Challenge is still on. If you had a brainwave, submit your idea right away. More details below:

Grow Green Jobs!

Do you need to head a solar energy project or volunteer for a conservation program in the interiors to have a “Green Job”? Not at all, I believe any job has the power to be a “Green Job” as long as it promotes sustainable practices.

With a sudden spurt in “Green Jobs”, there is a new buzz of what skill sets does this kind of a job require. Being energy efficient is getting a whole new meaning. So what if you are an operations guy, a fresh trainee or just another guy sitting in the chair of a Sales Manager. Each one of you is empowered to take on a “Green Job”.

Its simple. Think about what resources do you use at work and even the resources you use to get to work. Paper, electricity, gadgets, mode of travel- think of how you can redesign your usage to reduce your carbon footprint.

As suggested by Malini Mehra, founder of Center for Social Markets- Sooner or later business will work for the triple bottom line- people, planet and profit. Your early movers contribution can put you in a good stead. Google is creating Green Jobs as well. In 2007, Google had initiated a solar power project at its California headquarters. The largest of its kind in America. Recently, in December 2009, the internet giant has ventured in to green territory through their newly created subsidiary Google Energy L.L.C. Research analysts at Google have proposed Clean Energy 2030 for reducing US dependence on fossil fuels.

Back in India, 2009 saw The Green Job Fair being a success. Backed with a strong list of supporters, the event hosted some impressive speakers who have not only had a Green Job but also created the same for many others. The buzz is everywhere. Doesn’t matter if you are a company or an individual. Think about Green Jobs. Promote sustainable practices at work. Think energy-efficient.

[Image: TR Mack Studio]

and listen to each other breathe.

[Image- From Jess Koehn's shop at Etsy ]

Me with all the lovely cards from Joan!

For my last post I choose an image from Artzink (http://www.artzink.net/). This card called out to be picked and I thought what better than Artz Ink to be on Action Ink. Little did I know that the next post I receive at work, will be a parcel from Joan with lovely cards and a beautiful message!

I am extremely thankful to Joan for keeping my faith of a beautiful world alive!

How thoughtful of her to find my office address in India and ship it all the way from the US! I can’t express how much I appreciate this kind gesture. It’s wonderful to know that such people still exist somewhere in the world! I have just started out in a new role and I feel it is a touch of good luck that I used Joan’s card on my blog. I feel encouraged to move ahead in my new role and share my blessings with others! Thank you so much Joan!

When a company is in an exciting phase of growth with a rapidly changing work environment, careful internal and external communication is required to manage this change well.

I have been associated with Crimson since the inception of the company and over the years have been involved in managing various people and operational challenges faced by us. Hence, after my successful tenure as Head, Client Servicing, being the Communication and Change Leader was a natural progression.

In this role, I will be responsible for implementing critical projects in areas of corporate communication, human resource and organizational development. As a trusted advisor, I will be providing executive support for organizational change management. While doing this, I will also be coaching team heads to execute change initiatives within their teams.

In a short while from now I will be working on projects related to employee communication, performance management and employee engagement. I have very been fortunate to receive the opportunity of working with some great mentors. I am thankful to Mr. Sharad Mittal and Ms. Jaya Ramchandani for their continued support and belief in me. In the usual process of operating a start-up, we braved many rough seas and emerged victorious each time- with results or with learning. It is with this perseverance that I take on my new role and will put my experiences and learning to good use.

To view my complete work profile, please visit- http://www.linkedin.com/in/snigdhamanchandabinjola

Follow me at: http://twitter.com/actionink

[Image: artzink shop at www.etsy.com]

I have been following his work for quite some time now and in this podcast he is encouraging media to study the art of narratives. Sensationalizing issues is only going to build an insensitive society. India has always been an oral culture. Our behavior and beliefs are deep rooted in the stories we hear. There is a lot that media can adopt from Indian mythology and traditional storytelling forms. (I will be writing about this soon). The fact remains that media is responsible for storytelling. They must do better than trivialize it. Here’s the full story-

Storytelling Heals!

Its heartening to learn about the areas where storytelling has found its way. After its foray into the corporate world, reaching hospitals is wonderful expression of this form. This storytelling may reach a younger audience but it will certainly be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. Please do volunteer. Tell a story to learn a story.

Source: http://www.udayfoundationindia.org/images/storyteller-mumbai.jpg