Take Your Storytelling Game From Good To Great: Lessons From The Super Bowl

This NFL post-season is already full of stories – just look at the two overtime victories in the conference finals leading up to the Super Bowl. Exultant victors! Crushed losers!! Unfair calls!!! That’s why people tune in – the sriracha infused chicken wings are gone, the ads are limited, the fourth quarter is a toss-up, and all attention can be paid. For the big game itself, one early prediction from SBNation calls for a close one with a game-winning drive – oh yeah, here we go!

Competition is exciting, the stakes are high, and the outcome is unclear. The built-in conflict grabs our sports-loving attention and we often can’t wait to tell and relive the story of the game the next day.

Storytelling is a big part of conveying excitement and passion in business, too. With a nod to the Super Bowl, a good story has three parts – setting the scene, describing the conflict, and resolving the issue.

First, set the scene – give an overview of the people involved and the issue(s) at stake. For the Super Bowl, this ‘pre-game’ story will buzz all week – underdog LA vs. favored NE; veteran Brady versus newcomer Goff. Second, describe the conflict and build tension: we don’t know who will win or if it will turn out well – the game could go either way and we hope for a good contest. Third, resolve the issue and convey lesson(s) learned – the moral of the story. Which team won, why, and what’s next?

This season, you’ll hear this familiar pattern in many of the Super Bowl stories told and retold. In the stories you tell, set the scene, build the tension, and resolve the issue with a clear message. For the Super Bowl, hopefully it’s not a “meh” game and you’re not talking about the flavor of the chicken wings the day after. Of course, we’ll also talk about the ads – the most memorable ones will tell a great story.