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I've been a professional storyteller for 30+ years, and here I share occasional thoughts on the art and science of engagement, storytelling, making killer presentations, living your maximum creative life ... and other stuff that excites me (and -- hopefully -- you). It could also be about a dramatic movie, a stunning piece of music, or something from a book that's kept me wide awake ...
Stories are the stuff of my life, and by signing on here, hopefully they can be a bigger and better part of your personal and professional life, too.
PS: Like something you see here? Please be a good friend and share it with your people. Thanks!
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Being shot in the face was the best part of his day: 1 July 1915.
Capt (later Major-General) George Bruce. Note the scar on his cheek. Photo: Orson Fry. This month marks the birthday of this great man,...
Stu Lloyd
Feb 122 min read
6 views
0 comments
Sydney Olympics Closing Ceremony: 'The Macy’s Parade on LSD'
It's early 2000, and Reg Mombassa has had an eventful start to the Millennium. He’d parted with his employer of 23 years, prolific Aussie...
Stu Lloyd
Jul 23, 20245 min read
15 views
0 comments
Thanks, ChatGPT, I'm flattered (and a little nervous).
Taking the lead from fellow author Kim Kelly, I went to ChatGPT and asked (he? she? it?) about what sets my writing apart from other...
Stu Lloyd
Jul 22, 20246 min read
23 views
0 comments
The Year of Living Differently
It's been a very different year. I quietly retired from the training and development work (in storytelling and business creativity) I've...
Stu Lloyd
Dec 22, 20233 min read
56 views
1 comment
She packed my bag for 5 days, but we were apart for 631 days. Here's why.
'What have you been up to lately, Stu?' is a question often casually and innocently asked as people re-emerge blinking in the sunlight...
Stu Lloyd
Apr 19, 202311 min read
620 views
8 comments
A Surgeon Writes to His Fiancee: 'We Are Actually At War'.
On 8 December. 1941, Capt Tom Smiley, RAMC, was working at the Alexandra Military Hospital, Singapore. Just months before, he had got...
Stu Lloyd
Apr 15, 20232 min read
10 views
0 comments
The Day of Infamy 7 December 1941: Singapore Was Bombed Before Pearl Harbour
7 December 1941. An orgy of orange suffused sea and sky as the tropical sunset made its lazy curtain call on another idyllic Sunday. Only...
Stu Lloyd
Apr 15, 20235 min read
10 views
0 comments
ACTION STATIONS OVER SINGAPORE
HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales were sent to Singapore as a deterrent force. One week later, hope was sunk ... 10 December 1941,...
Stu Lloyd
Apr 15, 20233 min read
10 views
0 comments
How Jacinda Ardern Leads with Stories.
I find Jacinda fascinating in terms of leadership and storytelling intersecting.
Stu Lloyd
Oct 19, 20202 min read
24 views
0 comments
Are You Making These 3 Major Marketing Messaging Mistakes?
It's time to think beyond storytelling just in narrative terms. Everything your company or brand says or does emits a signal.
Stu Lloyd
Sep 18, 20203 min read
18 views
0 comments
Why Authenticity Matters in Leadership -- and No, You Can't Fake it.
So how can we build trust fast? By being authentic. And how do we build authenticity fast? By being vulnerable.
Stu Lloyd
Sep 11, 20201 min read
26 views
0 comments
Who Owns Your Brand in 2020? This Might Surprise You.
This means your carefully crafted brand narrative and content can be interpreted and shared (usually via social media) by whoever.
Stu Lloyd
Sep 4, 20201 min read
7 views
0 comments
Coke TVC that Captures the Zeitgeist of the Times.
And Coke have patiently listened to the world, synthesised it, and got George the Poet to hold a mirror up to us.
Stu Lloyd
Aug 27, 20201 min read
61 views
0 comments
A Super-Simple Zoom Call Communication Hack
A simple virtual communication skills hack: it reminds me to look down the barrel of the camera -- because that way I'm making eye contact.
Stu Lloyd
Aug 20, 20201 min read
8 views
0 comments
A British Governor, a Ceylonese Dancer, and an Unforgettable Love Story.
Here within the portals of this house, King Tom first set eyes on a beautiful mestizo dancer, Lovina Aponsuwa ...
Stu Lloyd
Aug 7, 20203 min read
467 views
0 comments
What won't you do for money?
When Tang Choon Keng (CK), a migrant from China, opened his first store in 1932, he said "I want to honour God.
Stu Lloyd
Jul 31, 20201 min read
4 views
0 comments
This virus is like nothing we've seen before. Or is it?
Analogies are one of the most powerful methods great communicators use to fast-track an audience's comprehension of an idea.
Stu Lloyd
Jul 22, 20202 min read
4 views
0 comments
Resonance Beats Reach Every Time.
C'mon, folks, let's admit that our obsession with likes and clicks is an instant gratification-driven race to the bottom.
Stu Lloyd
Jul 17, 20201 min read
15 views
0 comments
From Branding to Bonding: What Community Looks and Feels Like.
Belonging is one thing we all want to do in this fragmenting world. What more can you do to make people belong to your brand or service?
Stu Lloyd
Jul 9, 20201 min read
6 views
0 comments
Warning: It's All About Me - Copywriting and Self-interest Headlines.
I received this message via LinkedIn today. AND IT BREAKS JUST ABOUT EVERY RULE OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IN THE UNIVERSE.
Stu Lloyd
Jun 29, 20203 min read
34 views
0 comments
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