Customer Success: Master The Secrets Of Storytelling With Kurt Vonnegut
Discover more from The Customer Success Café Newsletter
Customer Success: Master The Secrets Of Storytelling With Kurt Vonnegut
Read time: 2 mins
Welcome to my 31 new subscribers this week and thank you for being part of our thriving community of 2,282 smart customer success pros!
Today’s edition is brought to you by my partner:
September 19 - 20: San Francisco Summit - register now.
Get instant 20% off with the coupon code “THECSCAFE”
Today, we're exploring the world of storytelling with the incredible Kurt Vonnegut.
He was a famous American author, a storytelling genius who had a special way of mixing humor, satire, and social commentary in his stories.
Here are the 3 takeaways that will change the way you tell stories forever:
1. Story Shapes
Kurt Vonnegut said that stories have shapes.
He introduced a unique perspective, plotting stories on two axes:
X-axis
Beginning (B) → End (E)
Y-axis:
The character's good fortune (G) or ill fortune (I).
They can go up and down.
But what really matters is that someone gets into trouble and then gets out of it.
People love it!
2. Make Characters Suffer
Vonnegut recommends being tough on your characters.
Even if they're nice, put them through difficult times.
No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters may be, make terrible things happen to them.
Why?
Because in their suffering, readers can truly see what these characters are made of.
This adversity creates the emotional connection that makes the audience root for them.
3. End on a Happy Note
End your story on a high note, better than where it began.
This makes readers feel good and remember your story.
It's known as "recency bias".
Lift your readers up, and they'll remember your story with profound emotions.
Bonus: Watch Kurt Vonnegut's Hilarious Explanation
As a video is worth a thousand words, watch Vonnegut's genius in explaining storytelling with a lot of humor and a good laugh.
It's a must-watch for anyone looking to improve their storytelling skills.
I enjoyed every second of it.
A pure gem and the best explanation about storytelling I’ve ever seen to date:
Happy storytelling!
Thank you
If you enjoyed the read, the best thing you can do for me is to say a few nice words online and tag me on your post 🤩
I’ll speak to you again next Sunday.
Until then, take care, friends!
Hakan.