Storytelling

Share This brings up a topic relating to the importance of storytelling in a campaign.  When working in public relations, it is important to learn how to tell a story.  People don’t want to simply read the facts about a product or business because that is boring.  Let’s face it, people want to be engaged and excited about what you’re promoting.  Consumers want to learn about the brand and what they stand for as a business. 

Storytelling can be difficult if you don’t practice and develop the skills necessary to be great.  Developing this skill takes a large amount of time.  In order to be a great storyteller, it is imperative to gain knowledge about the subject matter.  This requires research of the product and business to develop an understanding of the brand that is being promoted.  Also, information about the customer is important in order to understand the demographic you want to reach through advertising and marketing.

Because the use of social media is growing, professionals will want to use the public to aid in their storytelling technique.  By using the public and their experiences, one can make the story real for individuals.  Everyone enjoys a good fairy tale, but they also want the necessary information about the brand.  People will be able to relate to information if they see a connection of the product to an actual consumer.  Because of this, it makes it real and understandable.  Consumers like the truth about a product and don’t want to be given irrelevant or false information.  In this technological age, everyone has the power to look up facts and information.  By being truthful and engaging in an advertisement, a consumer is more likely to buy into a specific product.   

Try KIND

If you have a hectic life and are always on the run, then you value a quick and delicious snack.  For me, a snack is essential in order to get through my busy day of classes and meetings when I don’t have the time to sit down and eat lunch.  Typically, I grab a granola bar or an unhealthy option because it fits easily into my bag.  Next time you go shopping and are thinking about what to purchase, consider buying a box of KIND bars. 

KIND is a brand that incorporates ingredients that are healthy for you.  KIND bars are non GMO and gluten free.  In addition, you can actually pronounce the ingredients.  In my opinion, that is pretty impressive.  Many times the ingredient list seems exhaustive.  Usually, I don’t even know the purpose of the ingredients or if they are actually healthy or not.  Some of my friends purchase KIND bars because of this fact.  They say they are delicious and a great alternative to an unhealthy option. 

With the KIND brand, there are numerous options including breakfast bars, savory snacks and granola bars.  If you don’t like a bland snack like some granola bars, there are options like peanut butter berry and caramel macchiato.  At Ohio Northern University, a KIND campaign has recently been started by PRSSA to bring awareness to this product.  College students have a demanding schedule, and we often don’t think about what is actually in our snacks.  One thing that was recently done to promote KIND is a survey that went to all students.  It asked questions about how well you know the KIND brand.  Through this, it gave information about the KIND bars to the students showing that healthy options are available.  Personally, I did not realize what the KIND brand incorporated.  I thought it was just another granola bar.  However, I now realize that it is much more than that and will probably buy a box of KIND bars in the future.

Volleyball Podcasting

Once again I am trying something new for a class assignment.  This time it is a short podcast regarding any topic of my choosing.  A podcast is an audio recording that people can listen to online.  An RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed is typically burned so people can listen to the episode most recently posted. 

For this project, I decided to focus on volleyball and the impact it has had on my life.  Volleyball has played a large role in the life of my family for numerous years.  During grade school and high school, I played competitively at numerous positions on the court.  Even though I enjoy playing the sport, I also like to pass on the knowledge to upcoming players.  This is where coaching came into the future for my family.  My parents and I completed our certifications for coaching and had a great time with the girls.  I had a short interview with my dad and coach regarding the experience.  Below are the questions that were phrased, as well as a short synopsis of the answers. 

So, what made you want to coach a group of girls from the 4^th-grade until 8^th-grade level?

Well, he had coached volleyball with my team previously and enjoyed the experience.  Having numerous coaches would allow the fundamentals of volleyball to be taught.

What was the most frustrating part of coaching girls at a fairly young age?

The most frustrating part would have to be when you try to correct a mistake or give constructive criticism.  He talked on how the players sometimes forgot that they were still learning and needed to be open to trying new things. 

On the flip side, what was your favorite part of coaching?

He loved coaching the sport.  Practices were fun because he could interact with the players, while watching them have fun.  In addition, the team was undefeated for numerous seasons and won many tournament trophies. 

You said the team was fairly successful, so what is the key to this success?

In order to be successful, you need to be very patient with the players.  Each one is unique and you have to learn the habits and personality of each individual player.  In addition, organization is needed to have a successful team.  For instance, you need to have a small outline of what drills you want to try in practice so the time flows appropriately.  Also, paperwork should be filled out ahead of time.  By filling it our ahead of time, you can eliminate that stress before a game and can focus on the warm ups and coaching the game that will be starting very soon. 

Finally, what is it like seeing some of the girls you coached, play at a competitive high school level?

He thoroughly enjoyed coaching volleyball.  Our family has always watched and supported volleyball, so to see them play and improve is a great feeling.  After many of the high school games, the players will come over and ask how they played.  This just shows that we impacted their career, and they value our opinion. 

Personally, I love coaching volleyball and miss the interactions with the girls.  They looked up to me and never hesitated to ask questions.  These girls are currently in high school, and I wish I had the opportunity to see them play more often.  Coaching with my parents was a great experience.  I learned a great deal of information about myself and the importance of working together and communicating.  Feel free to check out my Podcast for more detailed answers to the above questions, as well as my insight into coaching.  There is a link on the side of my blog as well.  Let me know what you think!