Connection: Hollywood Storytelling meets Critical Thinking by Randy Olson & Dorie Barton & Brian Palermo

Author:Randy Olson & Dorie Barton & Brian Palermo [Olson, Randy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2013-09-17T14:00:00+00:00

THE POWER OF A NAME

A woman in our workshop was working on a story. It was fine. She had a hero, they wanted something, there was conflict. But it wasn’t really connecting emotionally with the group. We were debating about what was going on when Randy said, “Your hero. What’s the guy’s name?”

She said, “I don’t know. I never thought about it. Um…Paul.”

She read the story through again exactly with the same wording as before, but now she called the hero of her story “Paul.” Suddenly it clicked. You could feel it in the room, like goose bumps. Everyone got it at once. Whereas “the microbiologist” wasn’t catching our attention, we really got into the story about “Paul.” We felt like we knew him, we wanted him to do well, and when he succeeded, we felt happy.

When you need your hero to make an impression, give them a name.

It’s a terrific example that the smallest possible detail about someone can suddenly make them come to life. A well-chosen name can be the first way to tell your listeners that your story is about someone that really matters.

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