Storytelling beyond the hero’s journey
5 alternative narrative models
The hero’s journey model by Joseph Campbell
To refresh your memory: The hero’s journey is easy to understand, has a clear structure, and can be applied to almost any topic. But is the self-contained heroic epic also the narrative model of the future? It's time to get to the bottom of this question and experiment with different storytelling approaches. It just might help you to stand out from the competition with authentic stories – sooner rather than later.
1. Dialogic “jointly told tales”
"Jointly told tales", i.e. stories told together, shed light on a specific issue – in the form of a dialogue and from different perspectives. There’s no narrative hierarchy. Instead, each individual narrative is of equal importance. Many small stories merge into one greater whole. The story itself always remains open and leaves room for new perspectives and additional opinions. The idea of "jointly told tales" can be traced back to American ethnologist John van Maanen. And it’s based on the method of "learning histories".
In corporate communications, multi-perspective experience reports can be used, for example, in product presentations. Standard descriptions are yesterday’s news! Surely product developers, employees or satisfied customers have exciting things to say, which gradually become a gripping story – as in the case of the Facebook group of our client Simplon.
2. Resonance narratives
Resonance narratives are stories about individual experiences and moments that captivate and move us. The focus, in this case, is on the reaction to a specific "point of view". Everyone is moved by something and can, in turn, move others – and that’s precisely what shapes successful interactions between your company and its environment. The basis of this narrative form is the so-called resonance theory developed by German sociologist and political scientist Hartmut Rosa.
Examples in the corporate context are customer or employee voices. Give your stakeholders a chance to speak and to share their personal experiences with your brand, products, or services. What matters most is that their stories are truly authentic and are presented accordingly. Customer testimonials on the home page of The Female Company are a great example of what this can look like.
3. Micro-stories
Micro-stories are extra short stories. While even short stories usually consist of three parts, the micro version can get by with only two parts: a beginning and an end. There is no need for a villain or a long arc of suspense. The entire story is reduced down to the core message. A strong, convincing beginning is important to have the reader on the "narrative hook". Follow this up with a surprising ending that creates an "aha" effect. And what you get is a great micro-story!
The most famous example is probably Julius Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici". "I came, I saw, I conquered": Sure, he had an opponent. But who this opponent was remains a mystery, since it’s irrelevant to the message. Caesar went into battle and he won – that’s all that matters.
