{"id":872,"date":"2014-04-30T06:14:02","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T11:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/?p=872"},"modified":"2014-04-30T06:14:02","modified_gmt":"2014-04-30T11:14:02","slug":"tell-an-engaging-story-virtual-or-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/30\/tell-an-engaging-story-virtual-or-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Tell an Engaging Story, Virtual or Live!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Barkada Circle recently led a workshop that challenged participants to look at their websites in a new way and ask the question: \u201cDoes my website tell an engaging story?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The conversations centered around these key points:<\/p>\n<p><b>Think of your home page as a book cover<br \/>\n<\/b>You only have seconds to grab the viewer&#8217;s attention and make them want to explore further.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/barkadacircle.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/04\/charitywater-small.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-876\" src=\"http:\/\/barkadacircle.files.wordpress.com\/2014\/04\/charitywater-small.jpg?w=584\" alt=\"charitywater-small\" width=\"584\" height=\"368\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Showcase human themes<br \/>\n<\/b>Stories about your programs are important, however the stories of the people behind and around these programs are what will resonate with your audience. Highlight narratives that bring emotional values to the fore such as hope, strength and transformation. They cut through to the human core which connects people more deeply to your mission.<\/p>\n<p><b>Keep the language simple and free of business jargon<br \/>\n<\/b>Write like you would talk to someone face-to-face. The goal is not to impress, but rather to make your audience understand.<\/p>\n<p><b>Use a photo or video wherever you can highlight characters in your story<br \/>\n<\/b>A human being is naturally drawn to an image of another human being. Hold the viewer\u2019s attention with original images of real people who are part of your mission. Curate your photos and videos to highlight the humanity in your work.<\/p>\n<p><b>Apply a visual rhythm<br \/>\n<\/b>Create a balance between images and text for visual appeal. Making specific choices about the amount of text and the images that complement them helps the viewer focus and understand your key message and retain it. The common saying \u201cless is more\u201d applies here more than ever. For a good example, view the website of the nonprofit <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.charitywater.org\/whywater\" target=\"_blank\">charity:water<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color:#993300;\"><i>How do you move your website viewers to feel and act in the way you want them to? If your website doesn\u2019t stir your own emotions, chances are it won\u2019t stir theirs.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.street-level.org\/onsite-calendar\/2014\/5\/3cx4jgaxpuncpzmv1akmt5khkpvjbo?view=calendar\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-859\" src=\"http:\/\/barkadacircle.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/01\/street-level_logo.jpg\" alt=\"street-level_logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"93\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Thursday, May 29, 2014<br \/>\n<\/b><b>6:00 pm \u2013 8:00 pm<br \/>\n<\/b><b>Street-Level Youth Media<br \/>\n<\/b><b>1637 N. Ashland Avenue<br \/>\n<\/b><b>Chicago, IL 60642<br \/>\nFee $10<\/b><\/p>\n<p>From virtual storytelling to live and in-person! When was the last time you engaged a live audience with a compelling story?<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#383838;\"><span style=\"color:#000000;\">Join <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;color:#993300;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/jam-session\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#993300;text-decoration:underline;\"><b>Barkada Circle<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u00ae for it\u2019s 3rd Semi-Annual Storytelling Jam Session: <span style=\"text-decoration:underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/jam-session\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#993300;text-decoration:underline;\"><b>WHAT\u2019S YOUR READ<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>, an evening of open mic storytelling for folks with a mission. This is a great opportunity to share your compelling story with your peers in a safe and supportive setting.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#383838;\"><span style=\"color:#993300;\">Do a live reading. Show a video. <b>BE CREATIVE<\/b> and try something new. <b>BE BOLD<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>You get the most benefit by coming unprepared with an unfinished story because the immediate feedback you get from the audience will help take your narrative to the next level.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#993300;\"><span style=\"text-decoration:underline;color:#993300;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/events.r20.constantcontact.com\/register\/event?oeidk=a07e96h782r2af67bef&amp;llr=yxc7cmcab\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color:#993300;text-decoration:underline;\">GET THE DETAILS AND REGISTER TODAY<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barkada Circle recently led a workshop that challenged participants to look at their websites in a new way and ask the question: \u201cDoes my website tell an engaging story?\u201d The conversations centered around these key points: Think of your home page as a book cover You only have seconds to grab the viewer&#8217;s attention and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/2014\/04\/30\/tell-an-engaging-story-virtual-or-live\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tell an Engaging Story, Virtual or Live!<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barkadacircle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}