Great stories drive engagement.
But in the runtime limited world of social media and corporate video, how do you create great stories?
You embrace Iceberg Theory.
Ernest Hemingway was famous for editing his prose down to the simplest narrative that could tell his story.
He did that by knowing his stories and characters in depth, and then being able to choose what he didn’t put into a story.
Hemingway left content out, not because he didn’t know what that was, but because he did, and he knew that what he left out wasn’t necessary.
He called this “Iceberg Theory“.
“If it is any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There are seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show.
If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story.”
To make smart engaging videos, you need to know A LOT more about your subject than you actually tell.
You need to know what the other 7/8th of the Iceberg is.
This ensures that what you communicate in your video is the most important part of your story, and it enables your ability to create more videos, to tell more stories, about a business.
So Iceberg theory should be central to any agile corporate video production strategy.
Learn as much as possible about your subjects, then make intelligent decisions to tell your story, and create engaging videos.
People have been telling stories for thousands of years, the human psyche is tuned to use stories to teach and engage.
It’s why millions of people tune in every week to watch their favourite TV programs and why millions are hooked on celebrities’ social feeds, because of the story.
Corporate videos are no different. Tell a good story, and people will engage.
And telling a great story, starts with an Iceberg of Knowledge.
If you need to tell a story using video, Contact Us!
