Miranda Birch Media

Stories that change attitudes and reach new audiences

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Services.
  • Case Studies
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact

Speed storytelling: a confidence boost for your team; compelling content for your company website.

As a BBC radio producer I loved – and yes, sometimes loathed – the adrenalin rush of being in a live studio.

Guest speakers often asked, “Is there a delay button, if I say something wrong?” No. There’s no safety net. And I think the interviews benefit from it.

There’s a nervous energy to live programmes that evaporates if you pre-record them.

I was reminded of this edgy buzz when I worked with House of Colour at their annual conference. (On the face of it, House of Colour help women and men to look their best through colour and style. Actually, it goes much deeper than that, as you’ll see when you watch their stylists’ stories.)

No time for nerves.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

You’ve heard of speed dating and speed networking. This was speed storytelling.

40 filmed interviews across two days. 15 minutes’ of contact time with each stylist. Once they were miked up and the camera angle and focus sorted, the interview time shrank to about 8 minutes.

So we had a small window of opportunity: to put the stylists at their ease and get to the heart of their story, ideally in one or two takes. Any more than three takes and I knew the energy levels would flag and the films would lose their spontaneity.

Prepare, but don’t overdo it.

I don’t do all this on my own, of course. There’s a talented filmmaker / photographer with me, who captures the spirit of the story visually. And I work closely with my clients to make sure their speakers are as prepared as they need to be.

In the case of House of Colour, I’d ‘virtually’ met the stylists during the webinar I presented, helping them to pinpoint their stories. They’d all done their homework. Every single stylist had mapped out (but not over-rehearsed) her or his ‘lightbulb’ moment, when House of Colour had given them a new insight about how they felt, looked or behaved.

Convert anxiety into confidence.

HOC-22 banner

And so the big day arrived.

There were times when I felt I was managing a busy doctor’s waiting room, ushering the next nervous patient in with a cheerful smile. I wasn’t alone. The Managing Director of House of Colour, Helen Venables, had a bird’s eye view of anxiety levels in the conference hall:

They felt that the webinar Miranda did was really helpful and really clear. They were all ready to go. But once we actually got to the conference, I could see that they were all nervous about their slot coming up.

Then, as they came back in, they were all saying, “Oh, it was wonderful!”; “Oh, it was amazing, I loved it!”; “I loved the way Miranda made me feel at ease, I didn’t even realise the camera was on”.

HOC-75 banner

They just had huge smiles on their faces. So their anxiety was converted into confidence. They all felt great about themselves.

Vivid stories bring your company’s value to life.

The speed at which we interviewed the stylists gave the individual films an immediacy and naturalness. Pick any one and you instantly get a feel for the stylist’s character and their revelatory moment.

Stylists like Rosee, a former head teacher, who was taken by surprise at having ‘me time’.

Or Jenny, shocked at realising that she only wore 15% of her wardrobe.

Or Brian, who describes a range of opportunities opening up to him – including a new career and (bizarrely!) a till in a busy branch of M&S.

As a viewer, you’re in the moment with them – live – and you feel their delight as they experience that boost of confidence.

Stories convince people to buy into your brand.

These first person stories are already making a difference to the business of colour and style. Helen Venables:

In the past we’ve just had photos – little pictures on the website. And clients have often said to our stylists, “Oh, I like the look of your picture”. But what they’re now saying is, “Oh, I chose you” because of the film. And that is because the client gets the stylists; they come to life through video. The films are far more powerful than just a photograph.

Enjoy the whole box set.

I’ve given you a few examples but feel free to dip in and out of this collection. 40 short stories – between 30 seconds and 3 minutes – that will intrigue and inspire you.

Or, if you prefer, you could binge-watch the whole box set in one go. It is the festive season after all…

(There is also a bonus compilation, which gives you a feel for the culture and values behind the company and why confidence is so wrapped up in colour and style.)

Happy New Year!

Related posts:

  • Don’t dry up #4: reminisce and recycle your highlights from last year.
  • Don’t dry up #3. Content saved from the cutting room floor.
  • How do you show your company’s best side?
  • Brilliant Storytelling. Be Yourself

Filed Under: Creating web content Tagged With: creating new content, how to write regular blog posts, using business events to generate content, video stories, video stories at speed

Miranda Birch

About Miranda at Miranda Birch Media: your marketing will make a deeper impression once I interview the people who will help your organisation to grow: leaders, clients, volunteers and staff. From these conversations I unearth the themes (clients call them ‘nuggets’) that will land most powerfully with your target audiences. As your content mentor, I’ll also help you turn these nuggets into client case studies, About and Home pages, thought-leadership articles and other content that will prove you’re as good as you say you are.

One last thing… There’s another ‘Miranda Birch’ out there, who writes books about ‘dominance and submission’. This is not me and has nothing to do with my company Miranda Birch Media. I’d love you to dominate your niche, but not in the way she means! Email me now and we can have a chat about where you want to get to and how I can help.

Read More...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get new insights about your business every week.


    Recent posts

    • Get great testimonials, in 10 minutes. My new course shows you how.
    • Company values. Are they a match for you?
    • Is your firm an osteopath in disguise? (Perhaps it should be.)
    • You’d never want to make your customers feel stupid, would you? But many well-meaning companies do…
    • Win that business. Write as you speak.

    Copyright © 2021 Miranda Birch Media | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
    Website by Steve Watson

    We use cookies to make this website better. If you continue to use this website you are agreeing to their use.AcceptCookie policy