Agency Dictionary
Storytelling
nounPronunciation: /ˈstɔːr.iˌtɛl.ɪŋ/
In Portuguese: Storytelling
Writing & Narrative
Brand & MarketingWhat does “Storytelling” mean?
The art, craft, or practice of conveying narratives, experiences, and insights to engage an audience.
Etymology
A compound of story and telling. Story comes from Old French estoire, from Latin historia, and telling from the Old English verb tellan, "to count, to recount". The compound has been in English since at least the early eighteenth century, naming the act and the art of narrating stories aloud or in writing.
Usage note
In business and marketing, storytelling often names the strategic use of narrative to engage an audience, beyond its older sense of the craft of telling stories.
Synonyms
- narration
Word family
- storyteller
- story
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- Antithesisnoun
- A person, thing, or concept that represents the direct or exact opposite of another.
- Discursiveadjective
- Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
- paperweightnoun
- A small, heavy object placed on loose sheets of paper to prevent them from scattering or blowing away.
- Consumernoun
- An individual or group that acquires, purchases, or consumes physical or commercial goods and services for personal use. In marketing, consumers are studied for purchasing patterns and brand preferences.
- quotationnoun
- A group of words taken verbatim from a published text or speech and repeated by another author.
- omissionnoun
- The intentional or accidental act of leaving something out or excluding details from a statement or text.
- recipientnoun
- The person who receives something. In communication, the one to whom a message is addressed and who interprets it, as opposed to the sender who composes it.
- Treatisenoun
- A formal, systematic, and comprehensive written work dealing methodically with the principles and evidence of a particular philosophical, scientific, or technical subject.
- verbatimadjective
- In exactly the same words as the original, word for word. Said of a quotation or a transcription that changes nothing.
- rhetoricnoun
- The art of effective and persuasive speaking or writing, especially through strategic linguistic devices.
Also from these editions: terms
- Rebirthnoun
- A new beginning after a period of decline or destruction, used in mythology to describe the cyclical return to life after death. In Archetype.0, rebirth is the defining characteristic of both the Bennu and the Phoenix.
- shogunatenoun
- A feudal military dictatorship in Japan, headed by a shogun, in which loyalty and honour were central to its operation. The system was exclusive to Japan and did not exist in other Asian nations.
- Maximnoun
- A concise statement expressing a fundamental principle, general truth, or practical rule of conduct.
- Self-immolationnoun
- The deliberate destruction of oneself, typically by fire. In Archetype.0, self-immolation is the voluntary act by which the phoenix builds a nest of fragrant spices and woods, ignites itself and is consumed by the flames.
- Immortalitynoun
- The quality of being immune to permanent death, living or enduring beyond a single lifespan. In Archetype.0, immortality is one of the five semiotic attributes of the Phoenix: the flames are not an end but a transition, an essential phase of its immortal existence.
- samurainoun
- A member of the warrior class of feudal Japan, bound by codes of loyalty and honour, who served under the shogunate system. In the article, the samurai class is one of the two groups with access to Noh theatre.
- Blissnoun
- A state of supreme happiness, utter contentment, or serene, untroubled joy.
- Byproductnoun
- A secondary, often unexpected result or incidental creation derived from an ongoing process or effort.
- Symbolnoun
- A mark, sign, character, or visual emblem used as a conventional representation of an object, function, concept, or abstract idea.
- patriarchaladjective
- Of or relating to a social system in which men hold primary authority, especially over women and children. In the article, the patriarchal system of the Shogunate is the force that pushed women to the psychological limits symbolized by the Hannya mask.
- Imperishabilitynoun
- The quality of being indestructible or exempt from decay. In Archetype.0, imperishability is the power attributed to a phoenix-like symbolic object: something that survives destruction and becomes a symbol of true knowledge.
- Inertianoun
- The tendency of an object to remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force, or a state of sluggish inaction in organizations.
Also from these editions: concepts
- HannyaThe Hannya is a mask from Japanese Noh theatre that represents a female demon or vengeful spirit, typically depicting a woman consumed by jealousy, rage or sorrow to the…
- PhoenixThe phoenix is a mythological bird that cyclically regenerates from its own ashes, symbolizing death, renewal and transformation. In Archetype.0, the Agency editorial…
- AnimismAnimism is a belief system in which everything in nature has a spirit or soul. In Archetype.1, the article introduces it as one of the first belief systems known to…
- MorpheusMorpheus is a character of the film The Matrix, the one who offers Neo the choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The Agency editorial recalls that scene twice, in…
- NeoNeo is the protagonist of the film The Matrix, the one who receives from Morpheus the choice between a red pill and a blue pill. The Agency editorial recalls that scene…
- BennuThe Bennu was a deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, linked to the sun, creation and rebirth. In Archetype.0, the article identifies the Bennu as the true precursor of…
- Noh TheatreNoh is a form of Japanese theatre that originated during the shogunate periods and remains one of the oldest surviving theatre traditions in the world. In Archetype.1, it…
- CosmogonyCosmogony is the study or narrative of the origin of the universe or the world. In Archetype.0, the article invokes the Christian cosmogony and three other creation…
- Heart SutraThe Heart Sutra is one of the most well-known texts in Mahayana Buddhism. Its full name in Sanskrit is the Prajnaparamitahrdaya Sutra, meaning The Heart of the Perfection…
- Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant was a German philosopher of the eighteenth century, author of the Critique of Pure Reason and of the categorical imperative. Issue.1 names him once, by…
- ArchetypeAn archetype is a universal, primordial pattern of thought, symbol, or character that recurs across cultures and human mythology. In analytical psychology, it represents…
- Löwenmensch FigurineThe Löwenmensch figurine, also called the Lion-man of Hohlenstein-Stadel, is a prehistoric ivory sculpture discovered in a German cave, determined by carbon dating to be…