Storytelling is all the rage for brands but story mining is key. Here are five way to find your authentic story with guest Mike Wittenstein from Storyminers.

Mike Wittenstein is Storyminers’ founder and senior partner. By his own admission, he is a designer who can’t draw. He’s also a world-class expert on experience, service, and business design, who has helped over 400 organizations in 25+ countries make their experiences better—to the tune of $1.5B in value created. As eVisionary, he started IBM’s first experience and service design practice and helped establish the international Customer Experience Professionals Association. 

Mike is a sought-after public speaker and facilitator who shares his thought leadership at public conferences and corporate events globally. Mike is ranked as a top customer experience influencer by Huffington Post, SAP, WittyParrot, and Vend. His clients include: Air Canada, Apple, AT&T, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, BlackRock, Chick-fil-A, Clorox, Delta Air Lines, Holiday Inn, IBM, kinko’s, LeasePlan, McDonald’s, Party City, Publix, Safeway, SAP, Transitions Optical, and many other game-changing brands.

Mike earned his MBA from Thunderbird, BA from the University of Florida, and studied in Brazil and Russia. He speaks four languages, lives in the Atlanta area with his family, and tries to squeeze in woodworking projects on the weekends.

Icebreaker

Mike and his eighth-grade partner were Orlando’s Junior Ballroom Dance Champions in 1975.

Tweet

Learn to story-mining strategies.

Icebreaker great way to start to tell a story.

Don’t be afraid to try things. Trust in your partner. Try something new.

Read the room. First listen to be a good storyteller.

People are starved for authentic content. Trash the script. Go RAW with your interviews.

Show Me, Don’t Tell Me.

Think Like A Journalist Quote

“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.” –Ira Glass, This American Life

Success Quote

No matter how hard you try or how much you spend your brand can’t be any better than what your customers experience. Greg, Storyminer

Career Highlight

Mike worked with McDonald’s for a digital product for their drive-thru. It lead to the development of his company.

When It Didn’t Work!

Mike worked for IBM. He wanted to do things the right way and to create things that created new value. even though the mantra was: “It’s all about the customer.” But they didn’t really include enough of the customer’s voice.  “Never have I missed that mark again.”

Story Mining: Five Ways To Find Your Authentic Story

1. Harvest your testimonials: take notes, call them and ask them how they felt about you and what you did for them. Don’t steer them in the conversation. Testimonials tell your story differently from you. Others say it better than you.
2. Interview me: Let others ask you questions. Do it off the cuff. Record on video and transcribe it so you can study it.
3. Telephone game: create memes. Play the game and then understand what changed and caused them to say the sentence back differently. Those are the memorable key points for others.
4. Make your clients the hero: when you’re a better storyteller you make others the hero. Make your clients the hero. Don’t tell clients. Let them discover through your storytelling. This will make it more memorable and shareable.
5. The best stories are experiences: include clues from five senses. Use words that help the reader/viewer be right there. Clues that survive the retelling of the story. People remember most of what they feel.

Multimedia Resource

Uber Conference

Book

Outside In: The Power Of Putting Customers At The Center Of Your Business, Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine

Contact

Twitter @MikeWittenstein

Mike Wittenstein website

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