Ted Tuesday— Andrew Stanton: The Clues To A Great Story

"Wonder is honest, it's completely innocent. 

It can't be artificially evoked."

Good Morning Folks,

A good story can make a campfire that much eerier. A good story can flip a conversation at a party from completely awkward to wonderful. Good story telling skills separate the GREAT sales people from the mediocre.

A good story can glue your nose to a book. And, on screen, a good story can rivet generation after generation.

Whether it is something you want to sell, to make others see your point or just something you want to share. If it comes with a good story, something the listener can relate to, that is true to you as the teller of the story. That is a good story! One that the other will remember and even retell to friends or relatives.

So, uh, how do you tell one?

With millions of views racked up already on Ted and YouTube, Filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") shares what he knows about storytelling — starting at the end and working back to the beginning. 

Below, from the Ted Blog, see his golden rules of storytelling visualized by Karin Hueck and Rafael Quick of the Brazilian culture and science magazine Superinteressante. Each month, the magazine’s editors take a TED Talk and give it to their graphic wizards to interpret in any way they see fit. Here, a reimagining of Stanton’s talk on stories. Via the Ugly Duckling. Just click the image to see a larger version.

Andrew Stanton wrote the first film produced entirely on a computer, Toy Story. But what made that film a classic wasn't the history-making graphic technology -- it's the story, the heart, the characters that children around the world instantly accepted into their own lives. 

Stanton wrote all three Toy Story movies at Pixar Animation Studios, where he was hired in 1990 as the second animator on staff. He has two Oscars, as the writer-director of Finding Nemo, WALL-E and his fantasy-adventure movie John Carter.

So tell a good story, it will make an impression that lasts.

Thanks to you for listening.

Have a GREAT Day,



Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  

About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.

Ted Tuesday: Pixar Storyteller Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") on Storytelling

"Whether it is something you want to sell, to make others see your point or just something you want to share. If it comes with a good story, something the listener can relate to, that is true to you as the teller of the story. That is a good story! One that the other will remember and even retell to friends or relatives."

Good Morning Folks,

In today's Ted Talk Filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") shares what he knows about storytelling — starting at the end and working back to the beginning.

Stories are especially relevant to FSO as, like Hollywood, we start with a blank canvas and a vision and begin (re)imagining for our a clients a future very different from the known and expected.

I love telling stories. I grew up listening to stories at family gatherings and always encouraged my running friends to tell stories during group runs. Even catching up with friends, for me, is about telling stories.

A good story can make a campfire that much eerier. A good story can flip a conversation at a party from completely awkward to wonderful. A good story can glue your nose to a book. And, on screen, a good story can rivet generation after generation.

So, uh, how do you tell one?

In order to tell a good story, though, don't you need to get out and live and have experiences? I mean that is a story right?

A time when...
A place where...
A person who...

Alternatively, I suppose you could just be extremely imaginative and creative and make up a story, but I think the best ones have an element of truth.

The art of making a story about what you want to share with the world.

Storytelling makes life easier for everyone. Without it, every form of communication would be lost in translation. Storytelling turns the most complicated subject into something simple. It makes a boring task enjoyable. With a little exaggeration thrown in, storytelling is the conveyance of ideas into something meaningful. It is a powerful communicator that makes ideas come alive, making room for community sharing, learning and exploration!

The film industry quickly understood that introducing language, via talking, wasn't just about dialogue. You had to tell a story. The rise of the scriptwriter ensued, with films making or breaking based on the script. It is ever so today. Films can be simple or sophisticated, but their success depends on our understanding of the messaging, the story.

Visual messaging -
keep it simple stupid or keep it visual stupid. A picture really does tell 1000 words.  You just have to select a good image that goes with a good story.

Know your Audience -
pitch your message to the audience intended. That means understanding your messaging well enough to change it for each group.

Review your Audience -
ensure you messaging is understood by asking them what you said.

Andrew Stanton, the Pixar writer and director behind both Toy Story and WALL-E, has many ideas, and he shared his expertise in his TED Talk, The clues to a great story.  Andrew Stanton has won two Oscars and is the writer behind Toy Story. His TED talk, Clues to a great story, details seven important topics for every storyteller. The full video is embedded below.



Whether it is something you want to sell, to make others see your point or just something you want to share. If it comes with a good story, something the listener can relate to, that is true to you as the teller of the story. That is a good story! One that the other will remember and even retell to friends or relatives. 

 So tell a good story, it will make an impression that lasts.

Let's all go make things happen today. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE. 



About FSO Onsite Outsourcing

Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.