This past weekend would have been Professor Stephen Hawking's 80th birthday - he was born on 8th January, 1942.  

Of course, Google celebrated with a very 80’s, retro-feeling Doodle, with a brief history of its own - a 2-minute animated video walking the viewer through his life. It really does tap into the senses.   

 Google's tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking on, what would have been, his 80th birthday.

Storytelling, whether visual, like this video, or delivered via other media, has never been more powerful for connecting with others. And, as we move into 2022, we all need to ramp up our story-telling efforts to inspire, to engage, to reach new customers, or to build a cause, through our own powerful, compelling stories. As such, we’ve compiled a short list of storytelling-themed books, with links, to help you with your next draft. 

Some of these recommended books have been around for a few years; others are newer, and all are helpful in unique ways. If you are building your brand story, at any stage, these books can help. There are no affiliate links, just books to help you! 

Stories that Stick: How Storytelling can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform your Business. 

by Kindra Hall 

It’s a book about influencing, with help to define and own your story. It prepares you to consider creating a clear framework of ideals, and a concise set of actions to help you communicate the value of your story, and reach customers you may not have previously defined.  The ideas on ownership and accountability are worth the read.

The Story Engine 

by Kyle Gray 

For entrepreneurs wanting to tell their stories. This book helps you to be more authentic and how best to articulate your story. There are tips on scalability and actionable insights on how to avoid common marketing pitfalls.  Very useful for start-ups, or those within the early stages of building their brand!

Circle of the Nine Muses 

by David Hutchens 

This book goes back a few years, but still sits of our most visited bookshelf! David works with many of the well-known, large corporates, but the approaches are suitable for all sizes of business, and we’ve used his storytelling cards as prompts in our workshops. This book contains a helpful toolbox of ideas and approaches with step-by-step processes to activate your story.  

The Power of Visual Storytelling 

by Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio 

Visual communication is all the rage and this book explores why video content marketing has gained so much steam. Ekaterina includes an abundance of real-world examples paired with a “powerful road map” on the journey to leveraging visual storytelling, to build and maintain your business. It’s quite a practical book, so not too heavy a read. 

365 Alive  

by Mary Alice Arthur 

We’ve attended a couple of the author’s workshops, on which this book was based, and that's the reason for including this book. Mary Alice builds a great sense of community within this book. It’s all about change, activism and how to tell meaningful stories which are all too-important in today’s world. It’s a workbook, but one that shares a great depth of knowledge of the power of stories for the greater good. 

And, that's the round up!

Do let us know if you read any of these, and perhaps even share your own story with us. 

For now, in the words of Professor Stephen Hawking: