What is your organization's story and why are you unique? Check out the elements of a classic story defined by Aristotle:
Key Elements of a Classic Story
All great stories, from Antigone to Casablanca to Star Wars, derive their power from several basic characteristics:
A protagonist the listener cares about.
The story must be about a person or group whose struggles we can relate to.
A catalyst compelling the protagonist to take action.
Somehow the world has changed so that something important is at stake. Typically, the first act of a play is devoted to establishing this fact It's up to the protagonist to put things right again.
Trials and tribulations.
The story's second act commences as obstacles produce frustration, conflict, and drama, and often lead the protagonist to change in an essential way. As in The Odyssey (bloggers note: I just got done re-reading The Odyssey, a must read!), the trials reveal, test, and shape the protagonist's character. Time is spent wandering in the wilderness, far from home.
A turning point.
This represents a point of no return, which closes the second act. The protagonist can no longer see or do things the same way as before.
A resolution.
This is the third act, in which the protagonist either succeeds magnificently or fails tragically.
This is the classic beginning-middle-end story structure defined by Aristotle more than 2,300 years ago and used by countless others since, it seems to reflect how the human mind wants to organize reality. Source: Harvard Business Review
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