So many dreams, so little time
The balance between 'scary' and 'rewarding' is a tightrope that Miri Rodriguez, Microsoft Storyteller and Global Head of Internships, is happy to walk. Here she shares how that spirit of adventurousness informs her storytelling techniques.
Like many of us, Miri Rodriguez feels like she is a different person in May 2021 to the person she was a year ago. The author, storyteller and communications expert wears a lot of hats — chief among them is her role with Microsoft, where she helps employees and partners to leverage storytelling techniques — and has been doing a lot of thinking over the long months of the pandemic.
"I have found myself deeply reflecting on the last 12 months as this is when a lot began to rapidly change for me, both personally and professionally — and both in good ways and not so good," she remembers. “I know the social, political and health events that have unfolded have impacted all of us on so many levels and in so many different ways. For me, it has been an accelerated personal growth journey that is difficult to put into words — I have learned that in some areas I am stronger than I thought I was and in others I have so much more opportunity to grow."
As a storyteller, Miri believes the keenest weapons in her arsenal at the moment is knowledge. "As a storyteller, you understand that once you begin to design the story, the story has all the potential to take a life of its own. With that in mind, a great storyteller will take time to learn everything there is to know about this particular story and its elements, structure and attributes.
"Who is the audience and how are they currently feeling? What are the current events that may impact the story? What is the best story structure for this particular audience and climate? There is so much more to storytelling than just telling the story. Learning how to best design it is key and a great tool to fight the urge to just tell a story."
As a creative journalist, Miri maintains that brand leaders are now recognising the unparalleled power that storytelling has to connect people at a very human level. "Before COVID-19, we were already seeing a shift in consumer behavior where emotional and conscious buyers were beginning to drive and demand a deeper relationship with the brand. This trend has accelerated even more with COVID and in a post-COVID era, we can expect consumers to increase demand for brands leading with empathy and vulnerability.
"Storytelling serves as a powerful tool to position the brand in a way that is relatable to consumers, inviting them into the brand evolution journey and ‘befriending’ them as part of their brand story. In today’s digital age, the art of storytelling can dramatically help brands stay relevant and even lead in the market because it begins with empathy and drives an emotional experience for consumers."
Within an industry that can often seem transient and disposable, patience is a virtue, Miri notes. "Our greatest pain point is our own desire to finish the story and launch it in the market. We seek instant gratification, but storytelling is about the long-haul. It works methodically to weave a narrative over time, so we must be patient and iterate as many times as needed until our audiences begin to associate the story line with our brand. For this, I leverage the design thinking model: a five-step process that enables me to prototype story concepts for testing in the market. This practice helps me fight the urge to create a story without considering the long-term impact. Storytelling is a verb — it never ends — and the challenge is to keep iterating and evolving."
Editorial agencies like ALHAUS understand storytelling mechanics and the art and science of story, Miri believes. "Engaging professional services to learn story techniques is always a good idea. Be sure to talk through your ultimate goal and story mission if you choose to hire an agency. While they might help come up with new story angles and structures, you want to ensure the intended message for your audience is never lost in the process."
In March 2020, just at the onset of the global health crisis, Miri launched her book, Brand Storytelling, a guide to harnessing the power of brand journalism. Writing a book had never been one of her personal goals, but when the chance arose, she jumped.
"I was giving a talk in London about storytelling when the commissioning editor approached me regarding the project. After talking for a bit, I realized there was a good opportunity to democratize storytelling and share my own experiences from working in this field. The project was aggressive in timeline and I had to push out deadlines a couple of times, forcing the book to launch in March 2020—at the outset of the global pandemic. Writing it was definitely an extremely scary and also rewarding personal experience."
Miri uses design thinking principles to create her stories, a five-step model that begins and ends with empathy. "I‘m learning more and more that this skill set has become crucial in any branding practice in order to drive authentic connected experiences with audiences. Empathy in today’s digital age is the core element to staying connected at the human level when automation, robots and digital channels are executing on the operationality of communications.
“If we employ empathy at the design level of story, we are able to pause and reflect on how our messaging is landing, with whom and how to optimize for connected experiences. Empathy begs the question to the audience ‘how are you feeling’ and then explores this as the setting for where the story will take place. This enables layers of inclusion, authenticity and vulnerability to be weaved into the narrative."
While there are clearly reserves of creativity bubbling under the surface for Miri, she admits it’s not always easy to stay inspired all the time. "It truly is a challenge when the days are long and there are so many negative things happening around you. I stay inspired by reminding myself of 'my why' — why I do what I do. What is that legacy? It’s important to drive ourselves with a core mission beyond what your role is at work or in society. It’s about leading with your personal values and continuously looking at the future in recognition that nothing is permanent, good or bad, so we trek on to the bigger goal.”
Unsurprisingly, the Miami Beach-based strategist has big plans for the future — but isn't afraid to leave some questions unanswered for now. "So many dreams, so little time! I am hoping we can begin to get back to normal soon. I love to travel and miss it a lot. My ambitions for 2021 is that I am able to take the learnings from 2020 and do life better, in every aspect of who I am and what I do. I’d love to write a fiction book! But my publisher just asked me to write another business one! Should I?"
@Mirirod
Mirirod.com
Brand Storytelling is available to order via Amazon.