Play our storytelling game!

 

Start flexing your storytelling muscles with this little game! Play it with your colleagues or on your own.

Originally invented by scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson, this game is based on the fact that you need just a little twist (something unexpected, a change of direction, a surprising fact) in your story to make it more interesting. This will be introduced by BUT.

He called it the ABT method: And – But – Therefore, which is the simplest way you can inject much-needed spice in your stories as a technical person.

Scientists live in a world of And-And-And (AAA) they list fact after fact and data in an impersonal way - think about all the soporific lectures you have attended in your lifetime… after lunch!
As a result, they don’t get traction for their brilliant work.

At the other end of the spectrum, you might find someone that uses an overly narrative style, or DHY (Despite – However - Yet), a type of pointless narrative that goes on and on and on and never reaches the point.
In any good story, on the other hand, the tension created by a number of unexpected twists (introduced by BUT) can make a difference to how successful the narrators are at disseminating the content of their work.

 

Let's Play!

 1. Start with the "General Topics" button below. You'll get two virtual dice; click on the image to throw them. You will get a general topic to talk about (childhood episode, sports, food, etc.) and either AAA, ABT or DHY. Create a short story using the structure and the topic proposed.

Once you feel confident using the three different storytelling structures, and especially understand how different the ABT structure can be for the audience, you can move on to the second game.

 

2. Click on the "Sustainability Topics" button and throw the dice by clicking on them. Come up with a short story using the proposed storytelling structure and sustainability topic.

Now, try to use the ABT structure in your work life!

To learn more on how to tell better sustainability stories, check our Tell Compelling Stories masterclass.