Miranda Birch Media

Stories that change attitudes and reach new audiences

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Be understood the first time. Use DIY.

Photo of Richard Gigg of 6P Ltd presenting on the power of pictures | Miranda Birch Media

This is not about losing yourself amongst the aisles of B&Q and Homebase. (Oh, the horror.) This is about using drawings to make your message clearly understood and memorable, the first time round. That’s what I said. The first time round.   Imagine never having to repeat yourself because your colleagues or your clients get… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: communicating so your audience listens, get your audience to listen, stories in pictures, visual imagery

How do you show your company’s best side?

Create a visual library that tells your business story. (Not everyone else’s). I issued an intruder alert in my last blog post. I’m not scaremongering, but have a group of strangers gate-crashed your website and your social media? By strangers, I mean the people who crop up in stock business images. Presentable and well turned… Read more

Filed Under: Creating web content, Story branding Tagged With: best images for your blog, creating new content, how to create new content, how to write regular blog posts, keep your blog going, keep your newsletter going, personal stories in business, photographic stories, stories in pictures

Are beautiful body snatchers depriving you of leads?

Miranda Birch Media

Imagine cutting a photo of a model out of a magazine. He or she looks good in front of the camera, with a dazzling smile. The angle is right, the lighting is perfect, the figure is poised in a way that draws you in. You snip it out carefully and then you turn to your… Read more

Filed Under: Storybranding, Visual stories Tagged With: how to use photos in your blog, photographic stories, real photography, stories at live events, stories in pictures, storytelling tips, visual imagery

Get your company noticed. Bring a new perspective.

When you take an audience by surprise, you grab their attention. Challenging assumptions is a good way of getting your business noticed. A couple of caveats: be sincere in your opinions and, if they are particularly controversial, make sure you can back them up. Here’s an example of how a conversation gave me a new… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: audio stories, be memorable, challenging received wisdom, how to write memorable copy, reverse opinion, stories in pictures, Stories that change minds, the five senses in stories, visual imagery, vivid storytelling

Snapshot stories. The Community Chef.

Every time I interview someone, I come away with a ‘snapshot story’. It’s a vivid mental image, created by their words and feelings. It can hang around in my head for weeks, even months. Snapshot stories make you memorable. So if you want a message to stay with your audience, try illustrating it with an… Read more

Filed Under: Storytelling tips, Visual stories Tagged With: audio stories, be memorable, stories in pictures, the five senses in stories, visual imagery, vivid storytelling

Interviewing Sir David Attenborough. (Obama was my warm up act. No pressure…)

In 2016 I was lucky enough to talk to Sir David about his brother, Lord (Richard) Attenborough, for the University of Sussex. Richard Attenborough was an Oscar-winning director and versatile actor who appeared in more than a hundred films. Perhaps less well known is his long and fond association with the University of Sussex. It… Read more

Filed Under: Purpose stories, Storytelling tips Tagged With: human interest, inspirational speakers, new side to Attenborough, stories about celebrities, stories about famous people, stories in pictures, video stories

Help yourself. I find it invaluable. You will too.

In the course of a normal working day, I get through a hell of a lot of words. Some I write myself; others I read. I’ve been stockpiling countless books and articles about the best way to communicate. Now I’m in ‘New Term Decluttering’ mode and you’ll benefit. As I clear out my hard drive… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: communicating so your audience listens, get your audience to listen, language that makes its mark, stories in pictures, visual imagery

Hit home with your message. Get an ‘oooh’ from your audience.

I was shopping and I saw this display in a chemist’s window: “Good grief!” I thought. “Is that how much sugar is in a pot of yoghurt? I had no idea”. Well, I did have an idea. I’d probably skimmed over the ingredients countless times. But the facts only made an impact when I saw… Read more

Filed Under: Storytelling tips, Visual storytelling Tagged With: get customers to listen, get your audience to listen, health promotion messages, images with impact, reach new clients, stories in pictures, visual imagery, vivid language, writing with impact

Yes, images can speak a thousand words. But you need the right photographer.

They’re used to being parachuted into any situation. They size it up in seconds and take shots that quickly capture the story. There’s no fuss. There’s no wavering. Blink and you’ll miss them – although they miss nothing, of course. Reading this back, I make them sound like a creative version of the SAS. And… Read more

Filed Under: Visual stories Tagged With: natural storytelling, photographic stories, photography at live events, stories in pictures, visual imagery, vivid photo stories

Daphne Todd: the Big Painting Challenge and why boilers and bricks deserve their moment of fame.

Daphne Todd has come to the nation’s attention as one of the judges on BBC1’s The Big Painting Challenge. There was also a flurry of headlines when Daphne revealed she’d secretly painted horns beneath a portrait of one of her sitters. People were a bit surprised that a former President of the Royal Society of… Read more

Filed Under: Storytelling tips, Visual stories Tagged With: audio stories, creating images with words, still life stories, stories in paintings, stories in pictures, stories of still life, storytelling tips, visual imagery

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