“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”

We love holidays just as much as the next person. They’re an opportunity to sleep in, catch up with friends and take a much-needed break from our busy lives.

And while Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is undoubtedly a day worth celebrating, we think that to truly honor Dr. King, it may be a day better spent working—working on the things we care about; working to help make our cities more accepting and tolerant; and working to activate people around causes that matter. Dr. King’s life was spent devoted to others. He believed that there is revolutionary work to be done and that compassion and love can transform any community into one that honors people of every race, religion and background.

We believe that continuing his work is not the responsibility of a few, but of us all. Dr. King often asked, “What are you doing for others?” So if you had the day off, we challenge you to think about how you could spend this day, and every day, in the service of others and then commit to action. We must all do more than merely talk about what we would like to get done and how we would like things to change. Whether you’re an activist or a CEO, a democrat or a republican, Gen-Z or Gen-X, you can use your voice and power for the benefit of others. Let’s make room at the tables in our offices, in our communities and in our cities for all voices to be heard. Tomorrow is another day and the work must continue.

Making room at the tables in our offices, in our communities and in our cities for all voices to be heard

Why We Worked on MLK Day

Regular

“When I was in high school, some stuff went DOWN. It happened to a friend of a friend and it was INSANE. He goes to Hogwarts. Yeah, that guy. So, anyway, Hogwarts guy and this chick, Hermangie, and this other dude, Ray, had their wands up and were casting spells at some old dude. He had, like, a snake face. It was awful—bless their hearts.”

Storytelling has gone a bit off the rails today. And by “a bit off the rails,” we mean batshit bananas. Get it together, you guys. Seriously.

Imagine that Harry Potter was told this way? Would millions of people be parading around in Gryffindor scarves? We wouldn’t be. (Yeah, busted. We show our Hogwarts pride on occasion.)

Storytelling is a critical skill in marketing AND in life. It’s something that everyone knows a little about—something even young children can grasp, yet difficult enough to trip up adults. It’s like riding a bike, in that you will continue to fall off until you figure out where you’re going.

Want to be a better storyteller? Follow these steps.

Decide where you’re going. Picking a destination is half the battle. Long, meandering stories are best saved for This American Life. Like Stephen Covey said, begin with the end in mind. Then, like we say, get to that end and wrap it up before everyone falls asleep.

Don’t tell us the color of her shirt. Unnecessary details are, well, unnecessary. We can’t stress this enough: Leave out some stuff. We don’t need to know it was a Tuesday, it was raining, you had a snag in your pantyhose (do people even wear those?)—we need the information necessary to understand the story. Tell people that and zip it about the rest.

Make like the Irish. Blarney is not just a stone, it’s a way of life. Unlike its American cousin, bullshit, blarney is embellishment. It’s flair. It’s drama, pause, laughter and emphatic table slapping. Use it to make your story compelling. Bonus: Have some Jameson lying around to expedite this magical storytelling device.

Tell the damn story already. Unless it’s necessary detail or it’s blarney, don’t spend too much time setting up the story. “It was a dark and stormy night,” is cliche for a reason. Just. Tell. The. Story.

When in doubt, ask the audience. Lose your place in the story? It happens to us all. Volley the story over to someone else. Like Michael Jackson, moonwalk the premise over to another human who can take it from there. “So we were in the Maldives and we saw Gweneth Paltrow…” (*PANIC. Forgot the rest of the story!) “Mary—don’t you LOVE Gweneth Paltrow?” Boom. You shoot, you score.

Next time you meet someone, sit down to write a campaign or settle in to tell a good brand story, remember: The best story to tell is one you know by heart. And no one, not even us, can tell you what that is. Figure it out, tell it well and hit us up at the next party so we can hear it, too.

“So this one time…” And other Storytelling Snippets You Can Use

Next time you meet someone, sit down to write a campaign or settle in to tell a good brand story, remember: The best story to tell is one you know by heart.