Pick a card, tell a story

We humans are storytelling creatures. We relate to our pasts and futures, to the world around us, to our fears, to our relationships, our beliefs, to everything in our lives through stories. When we sleep, we dream in stories.

Even in business, the way we talk about narratives isn’t all that different from a novelist framing the elements of a new book. A lot of companies invest in storytelling as a discipline. Organizations from software companies to travel agencies, from mobile enterprises to auto manufacturers fill storytelling positions (with “storyteller” in the job title). Nissan has one. So does IBM.

There are countless books on storytelling for businesses, and consultants who specialize in it. Many of these resources are great at helping organizations tell stories, the best approach to making a case, sparking a call to action, or influencing a behavior. Few are optimal, though, when you’re stumped in the midst of trying to craft a story.

To solve that problem, you might want to pick a card. Any card.