“I have always had an innovative spirit to come back with the ‘goods’ if you will. To bring information that was left uncovered, or not previously thought of and present it in a way that speaks to the human experience,” shares innovative communications professional, Lisa Faulkner, M.A., Principal Consultant of PenStar Communications, a full-service consultancy in Atlanta, Georgia. Lisa believes the art of storytelling is the winning edge to all effective communications and can be incorporated across channels including promotions for broadcast, print and digital, press releases, and speeches.
Through Lisa’s years of writing and producing; integrated marketing; public relations and public affairs efforts; as well as voice and on-camera talent work, she reveals, “Storytelling is a captive communicative device that lives on in powerful ways long after the story has been told.” Faulkner is the new host of Game Changers with Lisa Faulkner, a radio talk show on WAEC Love 860 AM in Atlanta, Georgia, broadcasts live and streams on Saturdays from 6PM – 7PM EDT.
Ajaz Ahmed, CEO and Founder of AKQA, one of the world’s most acclaimed digital agencies, whose clients include Nike, Red Bull and Google, says, “The best advertising isn’t advertising.” He says, “What great brands have always done is created emotional resonance with their audience by telling their story in the most relevant way for a particular time. So in the print age, that was through linear storytelling. In the radio age that was through audio, and we’re kind of making the migration from the TV age to the digital age. Our belief is that audiences want to have more engagement and more of an experience, rather than be bombarded with endless messages.” His insight aligns with Faulkner’s belief the only real sustainable way to reach others with our messages is through the art of storytelling.
Executives and organizations seek out Lisa’s expertise to receive a thorough, polished, exploratory, and compelling communication. Clients come with an angle or market they want to reach with a resource, service or affinity. However, upon consultation, their stories weigh far greater importance than the resource. “Exciting creative comes our way each minute of the day! But if there is a storyline it is remembered and touches cognitive sensitivities that make your product or cause more relatable to the masses,” shares Faulkner.
Lisa accepts telling a story may not come as easy to some as it does professionals who have been doing it for years. Therefore she offers the Seven Steps to Innovative Storytelling; a process that allows storytelling to unfold. 1) Do your research discovering hindsight and considering foresight. 2) Develop an angle based on your research. 3) Show up to produce with an open mind and put aside everything you have learned hoping to learn more! 4) Lay it all out and let your judgment and intuition guide you to the real story – the main characters; their impacts and the outcomes. 5) Format it for your medium. 6) Write the Story. 7) Release it!…for feedback and editing.
“For the past two years I have had the pleasure to work closely with Lisa on some very high profile and critical communication projects. Her expertise and her professionalism is extraordinary. She not only is a master at the various communication and project management technologies, but has exceptional editing and packaging skills that make the final product engaging, effective and persuasive. I heavily endorse Lisa as a must have member of a important communication taskforce team,” says R. Eric McCarthey, Managing Partner of Crestlight Ventures & Productions.
“We have received many calls from people who watched the broadcast; the feedback has been so positive. Thank you for creating such a quality piece. You and your team have quite the talent for telling a story,” says, José Maldonado.
Learn more about Lisa Faulkner’s innovative communications and services at PenStar Communications (http://penstar.org).