Introduction

Our readers have changed. Not long ago, an editorial coverage with a headline, text and picture was sufficient and attractive enough to draw the readers into a story. In the age of multi-media storytelling on all digital platforms this is no longer adequate for print. It is important to choose different paths in the realization and visualization, to reach for a changed audience.

Alternative story forms and visual storytelling are proven methods that bring along a variety of entry points into each topic. Complex issues are nicely structured, ambitious topics explained for your audience. Studies have found, non-narratives attract more attention from readers than stories told in traditional form. Readers learn and retain more information from these stories. For example, data-driven stories, previews and announcements do not work good in a classic narrative story.

The workshop covers typical alternative story forms and ways of visual storytelling. It shows international examples and describes the impact of those forms. It also empha­sizes how those storytelling techniques can be translated to a local paper and how they can be realized on the basis of your existing staff.

Course Outline

• Alternative Story-Forms: Explanation and definition

• A new way to approach a multimedia readership

• Visual Storytelling: Examples and ideas

• The most efficient way towards a new storytelling

• Topics and their realization around the globe

• Internal structures: How to realize the story forms in your paper

• Your pages analyzed for new story-telling possibilities

• Hands-on-training: Your own topics, your local topics changed into a new storytelling