AIESEC UK Storyteller Booklet

how to become a

storyteller

Have you ever read a ‘Humans of New York’ Facebook post?

Most of their posts on the Facebook Page are long and require people to click on the “See More” button to read the full posts. While it usually feels like a hassle to read such Facebook posts, they actually receive incredible attention and engagement.

This is the power of storytelling

Image: Humans of New York

It’s time to tell your own story You’re going on a Global Volunteer adventure, and you’re going to see breathtaking places, meet incredible people with beautiful, try new and exciting food for the first time, immerse yourself in a new culture and go through a personal transformation and leadership development.

How will you

share

your story with the world?

We aim to help you in the following pages

But first, start with the “why” You are more than just a visitor, just a traveler.

What separates you from everyone else visiting the places you’ll be in is the purpose You are on a mission to bring positive impact on the community (and consequently the country) you are spending your few weeks in.

You are on a mission, do develop the world and yourself into the best version you can become.

And you are an ambassador of AIESEC and the United Nation’s, striving to bring the Sustainable Development Goals closer to reality.

So make sure you capture the essence.

Social media

What kind of content to post to best showcase to best showcase your experience and become an ambassador?

How to create good content that captures the moment and communicates the feeling?

We will share the best stories on our national channels, to inspire more young people to follow your story and eventually create their own one in the future.

blogging How to create a story worth reading and sharing?

What kind of articles can you write and where to publish?

Facebook and instagram Facebook and Instagram go hand in hand!

Since you can share on Facebook from Instagram, you can easily use them together.

tips!

• Share pictures showcasing your travel but also your work, and the impact you make in the community • Showcase the local culture and how you live Cultural diversity! (food, traditions, events, flags) • Humanize your content: include people in your photos to make them unique • Journal, tell your story in captions!

• Use instagram story and the multiple picture feature!

• Tag @aiesecuk in all your pictures so we can follow and showcase your adventure • Use the hashtag: We are going to give you some more tips in the following few pages! (source: BuzzFeed.com)

Pro tips 1. Protip #1: Brighten shadows and tone down highlights for better balance.

Most photo editing apps include tools to adjust highlights and shadows. Take advantage of them!

To enhance this landscape photo, Cole balanced the exposure by brightening the shadows and darkening the highlights. He also added a touch of the Winsy filter from the Litely app to bring out the image's warm hues. The result is a brighter, more even-toned photo.

Take the slider for a spin to see the before and after.

Pro tips

2. Protip #2: Edit the photo, then go back and reduce your adjustments by 50%.

This. is. key.

The trick to maintaining the integrity of your photo is to not filter and edit them too heavily. Edit your image as normal, then dial back everything to 50%. Last year, Instagram finally introduced the ability to edit filter strength. Once you select a filter, tap it again to reduce its intensity.

This is a rule Cole has always stuck to.

It's also why he wanted to create his own app. "I wanted filters that were applied at 100% and still looked great," he said.

Another piece of advice: "Stay away from clarity! Also known as Lux in Instagram."

Clarity and Lux are intended to "fix" underexposure and lack of contrast. But the tools often make images look Photoshopped.

Pro tips

3. Use humans whenever you can!

Landscapes are better with people in them.

The best example of how people add personality to a photo is the Instagram feed of Murad Osmann, who takes a picture of himself holding his girlfriend's hand all over the world. (click)

Pro tips

4. People can also help create a sense of scale.

You would probably not think these ruins are as massive as they really are if there was not a tiny men to compare them to.

Pro tips 5. Setting your phone on the roof of your car can add some visual interest.

If there are cool cloud formations above, the reflections from your car's roof can add a lot to your photography.

6. Bringing your phone right to the water's edge can also create cool effects..

Make sure to have a protective case!

Pro tips

7. When shooting for Instagram, shoot in portrait mode — not the preset square.

You'll be able to visualize the square crop better when shooting in portrait.

Setting your phone to shoot in "square" means that you can't undo the crop. Taking a full-sized photo vertically means that you can always adjust after!

Pro tips 8. Showcase how do you embrace and live a new culture!

Be it at an event or with your host family or friends from the community, at a special occasion or during your day-to-day life!

Pro tips 8. But most importantly, showcase your impact!

Showcase the communities you’re impacting, the lives you are changing and the organizations you are helping move forward. At the end of the day, this is how you contribute to a better world!

Good case practices

For more, follow: @aiesecuk @aiesecglobal

blogging About your experience This is your leadership story, the words you are writing should express how you feel about it and the journey you are going through.

However, if your aim is to let the world know and not just keep the story for yourself as a journal, you might want to: 1. Keep it long enough to capture the message but short enough to be easily read! (200-400 words is ideal!)

2. Choose a style! You can write in a form of a list, a story, a letter to yourself or someone else, or maybe even an interview.

3. Make it personal! It’s about your experience so include your feelings, your impressions and use your own way of talking!

4. Use this small guide on how to tell a story in 5 steps: 1. Make me Tell me why should I read, what’s the context, what will you give me if I continue reading! care

Talk to me as your reader and make me feel like I am living the same experience as you are!

3. Make me like your character

2. Take me with you

We like characters from the fairy tails because we know they are good, kind hearted, correct! So what are your or your character’s values, why should I appreciate them or you going through this journey?

Don’t just tell me how things go, tell me why are things this way and tell me what’s your impression of that!

4. End with the magic

4. Go deeper

What is your grand finale? Will you disclose the reason of everything that happened? Will you invite me to go through a similar experience? Will you tell me the lesson you’ve learned?

blogging About your experience Where can you publish?

1. If you have your own blog, great!

2. If you don’t you can use a publishing platform like medium.com 3. Send us your stories and they can be showcased on our national AIESEC UK blog to inspire thousands!

Are you ready to be a storyteller?

We can’t wait to hear your stories!