How to use storytelling to make better YouTube videos

let me tell you something remarkable about human beings something that makes them completely unique in the known universe it's also the thing that has set us on a path to civilization it's not that we make tools or art or play backgammon because other primates play games use sticks and can paint abstract art no the remarkable thing we can do is create a form of narrative architecture that helps us to navigate the future together we can tell stories and not just bedtime fairy tales but highly motivating stories of organization that have allowed enormous numbers of perfect

strangers to feel connected in all sorts of common causes our first stories were likely born around the campfires of prehistory and you might wonder how that could possibly be connected to making video in the 21st century but video is merely the huddled fireplace of today's world a common story could be a brand like Disney your night that wants you to experience something it could be a charity like Oxfam that wants to effect change in the developing world or it could be strangers connected by the common story of simply belonging to the same nation we are

surrounded by stories that feel as real as concrete but are actually just figments of our collective campfires what I'm about to tell you you may already have heard of if you're a fan of Laval no Harare the tale of the humble bee has described his original number one bestseller sapiens you see at first glance it would appear that bees are able to organize using your story in ways that are just as sophisticated as humans they seem to have a collective identity called hive em there are able to communicate this story across all of its individual

members so that bees coordinate an incredible harvesting operation that results in nature's sweetest treat except it's not a story it's millions of years of evolution hardwired into their DNA this is the crucial bit that Harare explains about the uniqueness of human storytelling humans are aware of their own storytelling ability and how to deploy it to allow complete strangers to genuinely belong to a group and to help them create new things in a crisis of leadership bees he says cannot reinvent their social system overnight in order to cope better they cannot for example execute the Queen

and establish a republic it's not that the rest of the natural world doesn't organize like us it's that it can't do it to such a degree and it can't change that organization in such lightning speed or with equal complexity it's such a remarkable observation and the implications for you as a small creator are so important that I'm going to repeat her Ari's discovery was bees cannot execute the Queen and Serpa Republic you are part of a species that can uniquely organize with others using story to inspire and cooperate as a creative you are at the

very bleeding edge of that species you're the witch doctors and priests the chieftains and the visionaries the Vasco da Gama's charting new sea routes that Galileo's our pending our worldview and a Martin Luther King's binding us together in common cause and the power to tell stories and connect people to positive action has never been more needed than now I want to share with you three powerful story craft concepts we've used to make better videos number one be informative number two be entertaining and number three be actionable let's break those down and imagine some of the

things in ancient witch doctor would and wouldn't do on a video today being informative a witch doctor would begin quickly she would start by defining a problem clearly that may involve her instincts or it may involve her interpretation of evidence she's gathered from speaking to everyone during the day but she understands her audiences problem she doesn't begin with some long-winded personal introduction explained the reason she's qualified to explain the problem nor does she try to make the story longer just to help with the campfire algorithms she dives straight in relating it back to them as

confirmation that she understands them she also defines the problem in a new way so audience feels that it's new information it never is but humans crave new information so it's really important to make sure your story begins with a definition of the problem you want to discuss that feels fresh finer angle that excites you next you need to be entertaining this is often confused with being wacky or pointlessly over-the-top but actually just means you need to be committed to the information again picture that witch doctor she's committed around that fireplace she's willing to terrify children

and she's happy to upset warriors as she tells her tale lover or Lowther no one can take her eyes off her being entertaining isn't something you can technique your way into it's the result of being committed to the information you commit annual entertain there's no in-between do or do not and finally be actionable now witch doctor doesn't lead her audience on a safari to show them a mouse she has things she wants them to do so that her information feels real and by the end who is really and willing to take action it may be

to slay that mammoth and avoid starvation it may be to take that North Passage to find new lands without real world steps to take your story remains a fiction in the minds of your audience if they take concrete steps then your information becomes real to them then they become part of that story and as more do the same and prove that it works your story grows be actionable remember next time as you make new content that you're not just making stuff you're performing humanity's most sacred and unique task you're telling stories you belong to a

storytelling species and you're leading the way take it as seriously as a witch doctor commit give your audience a way to take action and you'll be doing what you were built for are you not subscribed already why not join in our Channel growing experiment where we want to show you all the things that we've learnt so that we can help you grow your channel