By now we’re all sold on the importance of storytelling in communications, yes?

And we probably have a good idea what is meant by ‘storytelling’: even if we can’t neatly define it, we know it when we see it (or, for the purposes of this post, hear it). Yes?

But faces blank over when I talk about visual storytelling. Storytelling with words is easy – maybe not always easy to achieve, but easy to understand. It’s a book. It’s copywriting. It’s oral storytelling. It’s WORDS.

But visual storytelling requires the imagination to stretch a little bit. It’s a graphic novel (the bits without dialogue). It’s a silent movie. And it reaches into every film and video – even those WITH words. It’s either embraced, or ignored.

Here’s why it NEEDS to be a major consideration in every film or video you make: because you want to make the most of your budget. Paying attention to the visual story will make your communication more arresting. More engaging. More memorable. To ignore the visual story when you’re making a film is to miss half of the (literal) picture. Don’t blow the opportunity that film offers you. Don’t make a Powerpoint plus audio.

Watch this. It explains better than I can. And it will make you laugh, which is always good.