A simple structure for Business or Tech Stories
Frankie Kemp
30 January 2023
What have an IKEA bag, a latex mini skirt and a feather duster got in common? They both appear in a film, ‘Shine On’.
I wrote it last year and this year it won Best Super Short Comedy in the Lit International Comedy Festival 2023.
It’s only 2.5 minutes.
That’s Micro. Sketch length. It’s a tale of a trainee Dominatrix – an entirely fictional comic character. (Sorry to disappoint).
But what’s this got to do with you?
You’re probably NOT going to be telling stories like this at work (in public, anyway).
However, many of my comedy sketches have the same 3-Act Structure as any good business story, play or film.
Basically, a beginning, a middle and an end.
Relating it to business or tech, I break down that structure below.
How to structure your story using 3-Acts
Act 1: Set the scene.
In this first act, you will establish the context of the story. What is the current state of your business and the environment it operates in? What are the obstacles, challenges, and opportunities that you face?
Act 2: Introduce Change.
In this act, you will introduce the change that will take your business story to the next level. Outline the actions you have taken to solve a problem, create a new opportunity, or capitalize on a trend.
Act 3: Describe the Impact.
Finally, describe the impact of the change. What is the result of the action you’ve taken? How has it helped your business, your team, and your customers?
A story doesn’t have to be as long as Route 66.
Because it only takes one or two minutes to use this structure, you can easily:
✳️drop a story into a customer conversation;
✳️update the team in a meeting with a quick narrative;
✳️illustrate a point in a presentation with a tale.
There are countless ways to use this framework.
Your Action:
- focusing on your next meeting in which you’ll be expected to delivery some sort of update or progression, work in the 3-Act structure with the prompts by bullet pointing some of the key elements before you’re in the situation. That way you have a quick ‘map’ of your tale.
- Get this to help you with narrative structures when you’ve no time to prepare.
➡️Now, tell me: what’s YOUR biggest challenge with Storytelling in Tech or Business? Either email me at frankie@frankiekemp.com or answer in the comments.
