Media Toolkit: Storytelling

storyline builds engagement and tension

frameworks

 

 

 

Large portions adopted from Handbook for Co-creation Framework for enhancing and promoting Media and Learning Design in Higher Education (zenodo.org) Links to an external site.

 

Emotion is the key ingredient: “You need to emotionally connect with your audience.” 

Example: Emotion is a crucial part in storytelling – smiling/laughing/talking or writing with passion & love… with emotion. 

Show emotion/use emotion (smile/happiness/amazed/surprised/angry/…)  

The author’s job is to make the audience feel empathy with the characters/objects/questions/ your voice (the story in general). 

 

Show don’t tell: is a technique authors use to add drama to a story. Rather than telling readers what’s happening, authors use this technique to show drama or to show and describe the action. 

Example: Tell what you experience or feel. Don’t tell the mother of the family is sick. Show your audience she’s on the sofa and she’s shivering with fever. She takes some medicine – she pulls the blanket over her… 

 

Character voice: the way a character expresses themselves in their inner monologue or to others in a story. You can reveal a character's voice through their personality traits, dialogue, and narration. Each character, even minor characters, should have an individual voice. A character's voice is conveyed through their thoughts, personality, and speech. A character's thoughts can be revealed through dialogue tags, an in-depth point of view (first person or third-person limited), and word choices. 

Example: Use your voice as music (variation tempo pace). Take a break. Silence = key for storytelling. Use the character voice (narration voice) to express emotion/ the way you talk/ the words you use/ humor/with passion (see also emotion). 

 

Contrast: Contrast is at the heart of a number of storytelling techniques including conflict itself. Stories are more interesting when we juxtapose one thing with another. We don't want to see a cast of characters all share the same goal. We want to see contrasting and opposing goals  

Example: Using contrast opens the possibilities to work more visual. Healthcare without AI: is it a narrow street or a highway? Is darkness or is it light? 

 

Characters: Characters serve as the driving force in your story. Your characters create and push your plot forward.  

Example: Use your voice/object/actors/yourself as a character. All your characters in your story are crucial – don’t use characters if they don’t add anything to the big picture. The character have emotion/authentic/personal/…. In our AI example we use a family. 

 

Kill your darlings: You kill your darlings when you decide to get rid of an unnecessary storyline, character, or sentences in a piece of creative writing—elements you may have worked hard to create but that must be removed for the sake of your overall story 

Example: Focus on the key elements. Skip parts that are not essential for your story. In AI you can focus on the risks & address them but do you also have to talk about the consequences for your personal/private life? 

 

Resolution/climax: The climax in a story is the point, usually near the end of the third act, where the value of the story is tested to its highest degree. As such, it is also the pivotal moment in a story with the greatest amount of drama, action, and movement as the character makes a choice (related to the central conflict) as presented by their dilemma or crisis. 

Example: Can AI make a difference in healthcare? Will AI become a real breakthrough in healthcare? Is this what we are waiting for? Answer this question at the end. 

 

Flashforward: ​Flash-forward is a device in which the action jumps ahead to the future of the narrative. It takes a narrative forward in time from its current action.  

Flashback: is a device that moves an audience from the present moment in a chronological narrative to a scene in the past. Often, flashbacks are abrupt interjections that further explain a story or character with background information and memories 

Example: One of the crucial elements in storytelling is TIME (chronology) you can rewind and go back in time, or you jump to the future – Flashforward.  

In our storytelling we can jump to the past when AI didn’t exist – you can jump to the future were AI plays a crucial role in our society/healthcare. 

 

Challenge: To set a challenge, you need to know your audience. Who are you trying to engage with? What sort of challenge would they want to get involved in? Then make it relevant and topical. 

Example: The challenge for the family in the AI MOOC can be they have to learn to trust the AI info. The challenge can also be – will you (the student) discover why AI is crucial for some parts in healthcare – can you answers the questions in the next quiz? 

 

Process/Roadmap: a step by step procedure or a roadmap to explain complex or abstract topics in your story 

Example: graphics, animation or video can be a big help in explaining and complex knowledge/procedures. For example explain with the help of an animation how AI works. What are the key steps in the workflow? 

 

Strong visuals: Humans have relied on visual images for information and guidance since the beginning of our existence, and the same applies today. From cave paintings to watching videos on YouTube, visual storytelling is a powerful way to educate, share ideas, educate and communicate ideas. 

Example: Again the example with the road – the bumpy road is slow and risky – the highway = fast efficient & safe – AI is the highway 

AI is the scientific computer-doctor (you can trust it). 

 

Real-life situations: Your audience will connect to a story about an actual occurrence in their lifetime by recalling their own reaction. Automatic tension exists in a real-life event, ready and waiting for you to incorporate. 

Example: normal everyday actions can take you by the hand in a story/ it can lead you to a better understanding because there’s a relation/ association with our own real-life situations. We know how it feels when you have to bring your daughter to a hospital and you don’t know what’s going on. 

 

Authentic: Authenticity, the sense that something or someone is real, original, genuine, true to their word, is a quality that carries significant cultural and emotional capital. If a brand or personality appears to have it, then they win trust from consumers Links to an external site.. 

Example: Don’t force yourself to be somebody else in your story. Use the qualities you have. Use your presentation talent from the classroom in the studio. I you can draw – use it on a whiteboard. If you have graphic skills make infographics. If you have a good narration voice try a podcast… In our storytelling of AI and healthcare use stories you belief in! If you don’t believe the story / if you are not convinced the audience will notice this 

 

Personal: Personal stories are often a powerful, inspirational, and emotional type of communication (like a graduation speech, keynote address, or a sermon.) These stories can be anything from introductory ice breakers, like telling a joke, to a deeply personal memory that taught a powerful life lesson. The point of sharing personal stories is to humanize yourself, lower audience defenses, and build connection 

Example: A personal story within a story helps you and your audience. An authentic real emotional story is something familiar. Personal stories are easy to comprehend. 

A personal story can be a start to lead your audience to your key message. 

“I was never good with computers and smartphones…. I never was but recently I discovered why… I have to go back in time… My dad had an old IBM computer… the ones with a green screen… the first time I used it something scary happened…” 

 

Question: Nothing motivates readers more than curiosity. If you can curate and dictate the questions in their mind, their attention is yours to command. 

Example: Ask questions and use the to bring variation/ suspense/exciting. Start with a question. I’m not gonna answer this question ( surprise )….you’ll discover it… 

What are the risks when we implement AI in healthcare 

Is AI really the solution? 

 

Contradiction: Good stories should capture the contradictions and complications of real life and real people. 

Example: Our family is not really fond of the AI applications. They think it’s risky/ not reliable – Some experts try to convince the family… 

 

Narrative hook: The best stories are the ones that grip you from the beginning, and that’s exactly what a narrative hook does. Usually found at the start of the narrative, they entice you to keep reading/listening/watching 

Example: You want the grip on your audience from the very start. Start strong/ impressive – with something big – a big story / a great action/emotion – in our Ai story one of our family member breaks down – he/she collapses and needs urgent medical assistance – it’s a dramatic intro but it instantly grabs you. 

 

Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a style technique involving an intense exaggeration to convey a fact. 

Example: Make it bigger/greater… AI saved my life – it saved the future of my family – and I’ll explain you how this happened… 

AI is the most important invention of this century… Later you correct the statement: OK maybe not the most important but… 

 

Personification: is seen when an inanimate object is given human or animal-like qualities 

Example: Use your chatbot as a character. Give it a name, a voice, emotion, talent – give the chatbot human emotions/ capacities/talents. 

 

Imagery: creates visuals for the reader/listener/watcher that appeal to our senses and usually involves figurative (visual) language/images 

Example: In storytelling everything is possible. Every image can be used to support your message. Be creative and use your imagination in building up a sort of fantasy. AI can become very personal if you start humanizing it – make it visual with images so your audience senses. 

 

Use the setting (Arena): create settings that reflect a character's mood or circumstances. You can also use a setting to impact a character's decision-making process, making it an active component of a story's conflict. 

Example: Use the setting/ the location or the arena in your story. The house of the family/ the hospital/ the computer room/. It gives you a lot of possibilities to create extra visual material and to create exciting storytelling. 

 

Cliffhanger: A cliffhanger describes an ending of a story that withholds information about how a narrative resolves. A cliffhanger is a type of ending to a story in which there is no resolution to the conflict. 

Example: use the character voice (narration voice) to express emotion/ the way you talk/ the words you use/ humor/with passion (see also emotion). 

End with a small story within your big story – but don’t give the answer yet! Ask a question! 

Can AI save lives?... Next chapter we’ll answer this question… 

 

Symbolism: the use of objects or words to represent an abstract concept or mood. 

Use visual elements like a clock (time) can be useful to represent a difficult concept – it can help the audience to comprehend/understand the concept.  

Example: The AI concept can be represented as a robot or a machine learning from input. 

 

Character voice: the particular way a character expresses themselves in their inner monologue or to others in a story. You can reveal a character's voice through their personality traits, dialogue and narration.  

Example: Each character, even minor characters, should have an individual voice. A character's voice is conveyed through their thoughts, personality, and speech. A character's thoughts can be revealed through dialogue tags, an in-depth point of view (first person or third-person limited), and word choices. 

 

Include a big surprise in the plot: Often referred to as a plot twist, some writers introduce an unforeseen event in a story that dramatically alters the narrative. “Create some unexpectedness in your story”. 

Example: Do something in your story people don’t expect. A twist/ a change/ … 

My expert doesn’t know anything about AI…( people are thinking…what is he/she doing in this MOOC? … But she’s an expert in healthcare…  

 

Involve a red herring: A red herring is a technique for presenting misleading information that directs a character away from an important concept or fact.  

Example: the antagonist (the critical voice) can mislead one of your protagonists. The enemy wants the family to believe another story. It tries to convince the family that AI healthcare is dangerous… 

 

Start at the end or in the middle of a story: begin the story in the middle/end of the plot's events, meaning the reader knows very little about the central conflict before it starts. 

Example: Give the answer at the start and start to explain how you came to this result. Example: the result of the AI intervention was that the daughter of the family didn’t have to go to the emergency hospitalization – How was this possible and how reliable was the AI diagnosis? 

 

A bear on the beach: The technique of placing a bear on the beach is about displaying a threat or future problem that the characters are not aware of. The reader/listener/watcher knows that the threat is there  

Example: In our example of AI – our family (characters) doesn’t know what is going to happen… We know something they don’t. 

 

 

STEP 5