Having hypnosis and improve come together is like a perfect storm. The power of relaxation and meditation, with the only thing holding you back is your morality and the power of suggestion. Mix that in with the force of improve with a Canadian legend, and you have yourself a winning combination. Hypnosis shows can be a little lackluster and repetitive, but when you have the comical mind and imagination of Colin Mochrie, it takes it to the next level!
I was lucky enough to have seen Colin Mochrie’s Hyprov comedy show for our company’s Christmas Party this year, and it was one for the books! I’m a 90’s baby, so I grew up watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to experience an inkling of the cult classic. The show was hilarious and the volunteers were great and it’s what prompted me to live tweet a segment from the show.
Just had my company’s Christmas Party. And oh. my. gOD. I NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT HAHA. Let’s set the mood, right? Just had a nice, fancy dinner at Vicky’s Bistro (#iykyk get the Alaskan, it slaps so hard every time) #EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/0SUdbEQuOs
When I was live tweeting, I wanted to follow a few simple principles of snippet storytelling. I wrote the way I talk – I wanted to share my experience with others, and I wanted others to be as excited as I was. I wanted my thread to have intent and to set the stage for the joke. I tried to be relatable with how I posted, and wanted to build up the suspense for the zinger that one of the volunteers had. I tried to evoke a reaction/emotion, be it warm and fuzzy for remembering the joys of Whose Line Is It Anyway? or the absolute hilarity that ensued from the joke. I added hashtags where I could and also included visuals that would hopefully catch the eye and used punctuation in a way that would maybe stop someone from scrolling and be interested.
And now for a classic Whose Line Is It Anyway? moment #arctictern
As a single mom, there are lots of days I am home alone. When my kids are gone to be with their Dad, I find myself longing for the sights and sounds of another living entity in my condo. I started to think about getting a pet, something for the kids. But in reality, that was just a way for me to justify it … we all know the pet was for me. I have always had dogs, but living in a condo isn’t ideal for training a puppy; I am severely allergic to cats; Fish are not ones that can provide the companionship I was looking for.
But as a kid I not only grew up with dogs, but we also had birds. My kids have been fascinated by birds for a long time too. I decided that a Cockatiel would be the best bird to fit into our family dynamic. They are friendly, love to be a part of the “flock” and can sing and talk if you spend enough time with them. I reached out to a local breeder and began the process of slowly setting up the condo for a Cockatiel.
Fast forward a few weeks later, and my neighbour who knew I was getting a bird, messaged me and said that they found a Budgie in a tree. After posting to the YYC Lost Pet Facebook page, no one claimed the little guy and they asked if I would like to take him home.
At this moment, my internal dialogue was more, at the moment, than a responsible adult rationale. Two birds, of course, would be totally better than one. Then they won’t be lonely. But what would be better than 2 birds??!! Why…. 3 birds of course. I quickly send a message to the breeder I was getting the original first Cockatiel from and asked if he would happen to have another Cockatiel available for adoption. He did…Sign me up! I have now turned into the crazy bird lady.
The first week of July, the kids and I packed up for a day trip to drive to Leduc to pick up our two new Cockatiels that would be joining Budgie. We bought this backpack we saw on TikTok that can be used as a cat carrier or… a bird carrier.
When telling this story on Twitter, I defaulted to the 8 points a Story Arc. I think in general most stories will fall under this story construct structure. Unless, of course, you write a cliffhanger… but with my story, well you all know how it ended.
I also included the typical beginning, middle and end. I am slowly starting to like storytelling through Twitter. But I am still a novel girl.
A question everyone needs to ask themselves when addressing aquatic species conservation.
This week we were tasked with live tweeting a story in real time, and while I can honestly say I did not excel at this task, I think that my story is kind of cute and quirky and I am going to repurpose it when I actually know how to use this technology. This tweet may be just the thing that draws more people into the wonderful world of aquatic species conservation, right!? (sigh, one can dream can’t she?)
Using Twitter is new to me. As I noted in my first Twitter post for this class, I always thought that it was for people with opinions (mostly political ones), and while I have lots of those, I don’t necessarily think that anyone needs to hear them.
I loved tweeting TBH. It allowed me to explore alternate ways to draw people into the projects I am working on. To think about key messaging and what I am really trying to communicate. And, while Twitter may not be where I excel in the realm of social media, it made me think that maybe it could just be a tool for me to use to draw people to my Instagram, Facebook and project websites whereIactually know what I am doing.
For my tweet I took advice from Gary Vayernchuk. He says, “Document. Don’t Create”, so that is what I did. I documented what I was doing at that moment, which was starting my journey to create a fish exhibit (thrilling, I know!). I then thought of the Cat dad on Twitter and his story thread, and tried to draw on that style of posting.
I pulled the flow and story development from the 8 Point Story Arc. I tried to set the scene, create the rise of action, and start the quest early in my post.
The protagonist is (obviously) me and the villain is my real life sister, Shaina. Shaina thinks that fish are boring, and I set out to show her that they are not boring. They are, in fact, very cool and beautiful.
I let myself dream in the tweet about what this fish exhibit will look like. I talk about colour, beauty, and glamour, and lead my readers into thinking that this is going to be one pretty little exhibit that I am going to create.
Then I drop the surprise.
It is not that fish are boring. It’s that the one we are creating the exhibit around is … how do I say this?… it’s ‘UGLY’ (gasp!).
Now my quest is not to show that fish are cool, my quest is about how I am going to make this species beautiful and sexy; in order to sell their conservation and protection. This task takes us on a wild ride of ups and downs that are full of information and dialogue that no one see’s coming (hang on, it gets intense).
I tried to build tension in the thread and get to the point where I ask readers, why does everything have to be pretty and cute for us to pay attention to it? Why can’t we just embrace something that many would deem ‘ugly’ and use it as an advantage? What is it about this fish that people think is ‘ugly’? Is it their colour or their size? Or…. is it their RESTING FISH FACE?
I then tried to pose some questions about beauty standards to the readers. I hope that this will help many of the readers relate to these poor, ‘ugly’ fish, in a funny and sympathetic way.
I then tried to bring this thread and what I consider the first part of the fish story, to a climax. I consider that it is pretty unfair that we hold nature to the same beauty standards that we have for our selves.
I mean, fish can’t get Botox, can they?
So, not only is their habitat slowly being destroyed, their waterways are rising in temperature, they are overfished, and they are commonly held out of the water too long by overzealous fisher people; on top of all of this, we don’t think they are cute enough. And, they cannot even help that because they are limited in their beauty regime.
What is interesting is that that fact alone may actually be the biggest hurdle I need to overcome in my fish exhibition journey.
Can fish get Botox? is a question that is meant to throw the reader for a loop, to catch them a bit off guard, make them laugh, but also make them think. I tried to add an interactive component where people can vote.
Bringing it to a close, I wanted to sign off, but leave an opportunity to pick the story back up at a later date and build on it. I wanted to leave the readers on a little bit of a cliff hanger in order to keep their interest. I re-introduce my sister, the villain, who may not actually be the villain after all. She calls and says she has some ideas for how we can make our ‘ugly’ fish sexy and maybe, a little less boring.
I hope readers will stay with us as we figure out how to make people care about these ‘ugly’, but important fish.
“a significant impact on someones day and help create a sense of community and connection.”
We all know how awful grocery shopping can be, especially during busy times or when we’re short on time. The task of wandering around crowed aisles and searching for that specific item, can be both a daunting and exhausting experience.
It’s Thursday night and I’m starving. Craving a sandwich. Just checked the fridge. Have nothing to make a sandwich. Where are my reusable bags? I’m heading to the store! #EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/a3y88YPWx3
However, within the hustle and bustle of the grocery store, there can often be an unexpected source of support and kindness: strangers. Whether it’s offering to help carry a heavy bag, sharing a friendly smile and nod or helping someone find a loaf of bread because they desperately are craving a sandwich. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference in the shopping experience.
Who brings the bread? STEPHANIE FOR PRESIDENT! I could cry. Not only have bread, but it’s as fresh as it gets. Feeling grateful. Feeling hangry. We gotta get out of this place! #EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/js68DNmHeZ
For many people, these small acts of kindness can be a reminder of the good in people and can help to lift a persons mood. While these gestures may seem small, they can have a significant impact on someones day and help create a sense of community and connection.
So, the next time you are struggling with going grocery shopping, remember to look for the good in the people around you. If you have the opportunity, don’t hesitate to pay it forward by offering a helping hand or a kind word to a stranger. Together, we can make the awful task of grocery shopping a more pleasant and supportive experience for everyone.
Although I think my life is quite habitual and unappealing to others due to my routine consisting of working, cooking, watching TV and reading with my spouse before bed with the off chance of gaining the motivation to use my yoga membership, I decided to try to document a scenario that occurred in my day for a Twitter thread. I challenged myself to use Vaynerchuks philosophy to simply document rather than create. “Just tell the world what’s going on. Describe your journey, outline your vision, and describe your thoughts, ideas, actions, wins, losses, anxieties and ambitions online.” I was surprised that the storytelling basics applied to my interaction with my cat that had me in hysterics and took a dip into my bank account. I came home to find my usually loyal cat meowing loudly in the basement, not at his usual place at the garage door keenly awaiting my return. I went downstairs to find him staring at a spider crying. I was a bit taken aback that he cowered in front of such a tiny creature, but I digress because I am no fan of any small critters myself. I took a Kleenex and swiftly disposed of the spider. The horrified look on my cat’s face when I did so, turned me from hero to villain within minutes. I used to be a beloved cat Mom, but my cat now painted me as a spider killer and refused to look at me physically turning his back when I entered the same space as him. Ridiculous? Absolutely! But I yearned for redemption. I ended up caving and going to Petsmart to purchase him yet another toy for his pile. And no, I did not get him a mouse now knowing he is not a hunter.
When? – late afternoon, main character returns from work
Why? – cat was scared of spider and then owner
The bonus question of “how” I was going to keep the audience’s attention was by using a GIF to convey my cats horror. The short story also had the suspense of wondering why my loyal cat didn’t greet me at the door, a bit of comical relief with a GIF chosen, and a plot twist making it engaging, because who doesn’t love when the heroine becomes the villain? Well…clearly not me as I was emotionally invested in my pet! However, it taught me that storytelling does not have to be complex. A story can be achieved from a small insignificant part of your day that you found interesting or inspiring.
Photo by u0410u043bu0435u043au0441u0430u043du0434u0430u0440 u0426u0432u0435u0442u0430u043du043eu0432u0438u045b on Pexels.com
The excitement of opening night! Taste of Edmonton is back on, and I had the chance to try it out with friends this week.
To attend an event that features 52 restaurants, food trucks, and pages of food and drink options it is important to start off hungry and ready with food tickets. So that is where we began.
See the full story here in glorious tweet form:
Finding myself downtown and feeling famished because @TasteOfEdm is on! We have our tickets and are ready to find something delicious to share #EXSM3989
I thought I was prepared. I had searched the menu ahead of time, bought a sheet of tickets at pre-sale prices, and with 3 other friends to share items we should be able to taste almost everything, right? But, it quickly became apparent that sharing was not on the agenda for my friends.
And even though I had a few items in mind to try, it was so hard to resist the temptation of the moment. Seeing people enjoying fantastic plates piled high, with things I hadn’t even considered, now I wanted them all. Even the giant slices of chocolate-covered cheesecake looked so good – a past favourite of mine but now a forbidden food for me. But I knew I would only end up like Meg Ryan on French Kiss if I gave in to temptation.
The Festival runs from 11 am to 11 pm each day until July 31st, and we were there right at dinner time. The lineups were starting to grow. It was time to make the critical choice and spend those tickets! I selected my first items from Tokyo Noodle Shop. My friends chose donair poutine and we ate standing up to keep our eyes peeled for our next snack stop.
The momentum built from there: bannock burger, bubble tea, Lemon Heaven, sesame beef, maple buffalo chicken and waffles…and more. Just check out this menu, it feels endless. There was still so much to try, but we were running low on tickets. Was it time to go home and call it a night? Or could we muster more appetite and splurge on a second (or third) course?
The Right Choice
Let’s be honest, we didn’t want to leave and the night was young. So, of course, we settled into some comfy seats and made a new plan of attack for how many tickets to get and what we still needed to try. It was the right decision, the live music was on and the evening was perfect.
We did another round of our favourite booths and a few we had missed earlier. My friend got the lightbulb drink from I Love Bubble Tea. Important Public Service Announcement – don’t just throw it out when you’re done! There are lights and a battery inside and you can light up your drink using the button on the bottom even while it is full and then take it home for a few more hours of battery time, and to reuse it on your patio for drinks at home.
I didn’t see anyone with theirs lit up – so I’m not sure if that is common knowledge even though there was a similar light bulb drink a few years ago in Edmonton at Miss Saigon.
My own finale to the evening was my Holy Grail of food festivals – a delicious 2-scoop vegan sorbet from Little Bear Gelato. Served in a cone and #zerowaste. So delicious, and the perfect thing to eat while sitting back and listening to the music and watching the crowds.
Yes, we will definitely be back. Thanks Taste of Edmonton!
What did I miss?
My friends came by bike, and there was lots of space to get around. Even without using a rack, we had no issues keeping them near our seating whether we were at the picnic benches or closer to the stage.
Afterward, I learned that if you are parking downtown, Edmonton City Centre has a special parking rate for attendees of only $3 after 5 pm on weekdays and all day on weekends during Taste of Edmonton (east parkade only – enter on 102A ave between 100 and 101 St).
If you have a festival favorite, please let me know! I definitely plan to go back next week.
Perhaps I should have paid more attention to the 6+ warning on the Nerf Super Soaker box, or maybe I should have just let the flowers enjoy their water. But we can’t live in the what ifs, so I’m here to share the story of what I thought was going to be a #momwin.
Thinking it was a great idea, I recently purchased some Super Soakers for my kids to enjoy while our summer actually feels like summer. However, what quickly transpired was far from my expectations. There was no epic water battle, just the rise and fall of a younger brother who thought he was invincible.
My real-time Twitter thread uses storytelling techniques and principals in a number of ways. It holds all the elements of a story:
Setting (the sunny backyard)
Characters (3-year-old and 5-year-old brother/sister duo)
Plot (Mom bought fun new super soakers for core summer memories)
Conflict (in its truest form: sibling conflict)
Arc (the rise and fall of a not-so-invincible younger brother)
Using the 8-point story arc as a reference, the Twitter thread’s stasis begins in the backyard. The super soakers are full and the kids are calmly watering the flowers. They have chosen their course of action and it’s peaceful, useful.
Then Mom steps in and triggers a change. The idea of chasing each other around the yard with cold water as ammunition excites both children, but only one remembers the one and only rule: if you spray your brother/sister, they can get you back.
The 3-year-old embarks on his life-long quest to take down his older sister. He pulls the trigger and soaks her back. He has won, he’s victorious, and he’s on top of the world.
The 5-year-old is surprised by her suddenly cold back and she makes the critical choice to challenge her brother. She begins to chase him around the backyard, anticipation is growing, the smile appears on her face, the dread on his.
The climax is reached as she narrows her sights on her younger adversary. Will she be successful and soak her brother with cold water? Will the water fight continue?
We come to the Twitter thread’s reversal when the 5-year-old makes contact with her target. Due to her critical choice and the actions taken during the climax, she has sprayed her brother with cold water and he is now on the ground. He sadly accepts defeat and retreats into typical 3-year-old ways.
The resolution of the story happens when the children agree to take a break and go back to watering flowers. Peace is restored and they return to a new, albeit somewhat scarred, stasis.
In addition to these storytelling principals, the Twitter thread includes images and video to engage the audience. In his article, How to use storytelling to craft better tweets, Nick Reese says that “Tweets with video [attract] 10x more engagement than Tweets without video”.
To keep the audience coming back for more, and to keep the story at the top of the feed, the Tweets are published separately, with the second Tweet coming an hour after the initial post was shared.
This Twitter thread is intended for everyone, however parents, guardians, and caregivers will be able to connect to the story the most. Its colourfulness offers an all-too-relatable story in a funny and entertaining way.
I remember when I was younger and I was excited about the Family Day long weekend because it meant no school or it meant time and a half pay if I had to work. I was missing the entire point of the holiday which was created in 1990 by Premier Don Getty for two reasons: to celebrate the family unit, and to lead the war on drugs. So, in my efforts to be a good citizen, I asked my family if they wanted to go out and have fun as a family. This is where the lesson is. As you will see, the idea that something will be fun and what is actually fun are so very different. Of course, there are many factors that play into the “having of fun”. Some of these include: the activity, the demographics of the people partaking in the fun, and the time of day the fun occurs. During all this “fun” I was live tweeting the events as they were folding.
Beginning
After I convinced my husband and five-year-old son that it would be a good idea for us to do something for Family Day, we had to find something, safe, age appropriate and available. While all the ideas put forward were fantastic ideas, especially the all-inclusive vacation my husband suggested, we ended up going back and forth between bowling, mini golf and swimming. The deciding factor was the amount of effort required for the activity. This final factor led us to mini golf.
If you haven’t been to Monster Mini Golf in Edmonton, check it out! The entire place is glow in the dark. It includes an arcade, live DJ and 18 holes of mini golf with moving monsters. We were given our clubs and balls and set off to hole number one. Not so bad! This is going to be so much fun! Until about hole four, then reality set in. My husband and I both looked at each other knowing exactly what the other was thinking…yes, we were only on hole four and had another 14 holes remaining.
As we are making our way through the course, it becomes apparent that no one showed our son how to play mini golf. I think he may have even been using the club backwards at some points. No one was really “playing” anymore. I think we were in the “let’s get this over with and get the hell out of here” stage. That’s when, we weren’t paying attention, and our son decided to drive the ball instead of putting. Well, that ball went flying! It bounced off a fake tombstone, jumped the glowing barricade, narrowly missing the head of a girl waiting to putt on the next hole, hit the wall behind her and landed by her feet. I notice my husband, who seen the entire event occur, do what husbands do. He casually walked away trying to act like he didn’t see the whole the thing. I send our son over to apologize while receiving dagger stares from the girl’s parents. Thankfully, no one was injured, and we reluctantly continued on.
End
Around hole 13 was when it got tough. At this point we were really debating the necessity of actually finishing the game but I’m always trying to teach my son that he needs to finish what he starts and there were really only five more holes. So, when we got to the last hole, it felt so good, almost like we were free. Don’t get me wrong, looking back, it was a fun evening with the family, would it have been better with a group of friends? Probably. Would it have been better in the evening with a babysitter? Probably. Would have been better with some pre-game cocktails? Probably. But will I do it again? Probably!
Live Tweets
In the live Tweets, I did my best to create a timeline of the events by mentioning which hole we were on. I was able to take some video and pictures throughout the experience which I included in the tweets to help give more context to the post and create a feeling. The posts were also short and concise, written how I would speak and included only the relevant details. I tried to make the posts relatable to anyone with young kids.
Family Day long weekend! I've convinced my husband and 5-year-old son we should do something as a family today. pic.twitter.com/oAl2D0lpKD
The mini golf story I was telling on Twitter would be relatable to many people with young children. They can relate to the pressure of trying to plan a family outing, the anxiety of a new activity with a young child and the relief when the activity is over.
Good Stories Have Structure
I set up my Twitter story to have a beginning, middle and an end. In the beginning, I introduce the situation and the characters. In the middle, there is tension and surprise. And at the end there is relief.
Good Stories Are Simple And Focused
This story was documenting events as they unfolded. It was simple since the subject matter was easy to understand. The story had an arc which kept it focused.
Good Stories Give you a Character to Root For
With the audience being parents, I would hope that they were rooting for me and my husband. I hope they would relate to the story and understand the predicament and challenges we were facing.
What family activities have you planned? Were they a success? Would you do them again? Let me know in the comments.
For my live-tweet, I chose the latest episode of Bob’s Burgers recently added on Disney+. As I said in my thread, it’s a show my family has watched since the pandemic lockdowns last year. I opened up with a casual call to read along to grab reader interest, establish the tone of my writing, and inform people what my thread would be about. I also included a thematically appropriate gif at the end for additional visual appeal.
We just finished dinner at my house, so why not live tweet a show about people running a family restaurant. Join me for an episode of Bob’s Burgers! #EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/8TvTLutbFX
It was challenging trying to actively use storytelling techniques during a live-tweet. It was important to provide active commentary that wasn’t just summarizing what was on the screen but also a story of how my family watches the show together. Ideally, during a live-tweet of a show or film, others are following along. At the same time, a live-tweet thread should provide enough engagement that a reader would want to follow along even without being able to watch.
To better achieve this, I tried to follow some of the storytelling principles we’ve learned to encourage engagement and the advice found in the articles by Gary Vaynerchuk and Nick Reese. I mixed “passion with practicality” by not being overly concerned with the episode plot summary and instead putting snippets of my live experience into my story. Structure was provided by my introduction where I also established the setting of it being a family watch after dinner. It continued with the body of my thread where I provided brief summaries with commentary and visual interest of supporting gifs. Then I established an ending with closing tweets describing what happened with my family after the show was over and one thanking the reader for joining us.
Thanks for joining me as I watched with my family. I whole-heartedly recommend Bob’s Burgers for anyone who likes animated sitcoms, funny original songs or just quirky humour from great characters.#EXSM3989pic.twitter.com/GL5U0xslKS
If I were to do this again, I would pick a longer show or film in order to give myself time to provide better commentary not only of what was happening onscreen but of what was going on in my head or my home. It would also give me more time to be aware of my writing and search for any interest-grabbing accompanying images or video. Overall, this was a great way to practice storytelling techniques and allow my family to be part of the experience.
It’s new, it’s thrilling, it’s sexy…it’s Monday RUN day! Documenting my first run of the week, this live tweet thread is a real-time account of the lead up to, and actual experience of, a non-runner’s lunch run.
Despite the mundane topic, I wanted this thread to be relatable, suspenseful, and emotive, in order to create a compelling story. Who doesn’t dread exercise!? Will she make it through the run!? What’s going to happen next!? I crafted this thread along the lines of a thriller story like the ones we saw in our required readings; I wanted there to be some tension and suspense about what would happen next, but I also used humour to relate to readers, elicit emotion, and acknowledge the absurdity of turning such an ordinary activity into a topic worthy of being shared as a story.
Good storytelling
Using short sentences and writing how you speak lends to the authenticity of the live tweet, and it is effective in pulling the audience into the story, enticing them to keep reading. The pacing of short stories such as this one is essential to keeping readers engaged and invested in the events that are unfolding…it’s more like listening to a friend recounting an exciting incident than reading any type of literature! My story has a clear beginning (introducing the topic, telling the audience what to expect and creating anticipation with the first tweet), middle (the highs and lows of the run experience, as well as the tension created throughout), and end (completion of the run) and resolves with the protagonist having grown and changed in some way (professional runner, ready to tackle a marathon). I kept to the basic structure of the 8-point Story Arc, although with a Twitter story, I feel it’s unnecessary to introduce your protagonist and establish “stasis”. You can assume that your audience is roughly on the same page as you and jump right into the “trigger” or event that launches your story, subsequently taking them through the thrilling steps of your adventure.
Writing in this way is exciting and can be very expressive – the creativity that emerges when you are limited by word count and format is fascinating. As a writer, you must be able to very quickly reel your audience in and get them on your level – their limited point of view allows them to experience the event as you are, right now, in the moment. Short-snippet storytelling is an extremely distilled way to share your perspective on something, making it a very relatable and engaging way to connect with your audience.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 