Sir Patrick Stewart discussed his experience with live storytelling on Twitter. He found that Twitter allowed him to share his more silly and playful side, unlike some of his serious TV and movie roles. This helped change people's perceptions of him and led to new comedic acting opportunities. Stewart also values Twitter as a way to engage in an ongoing dialogue with his large audience. Overall, the discussion emphasized how Twitter can help make storytelling more live, social and participatory.

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#LIVE
STORYTELLING
tips on TWITTER:
FROM SIR PATRICK STEWART
A TRUE MASTER OF TELLING STORIES LIVE

2. TWITTER:
#LIVE STORYTELLING
it’s all about
immediacyPeople today are excited by the immediacy of
events, says comedian Chris Hardwick, and by being
able to connect to each other instantly. Leslie
Berland of Amex (Sir Patrick’s warm-up act) spoke
about how Amex is building immediate engagement
through hashtag purchasing. One tweet, and your
item is delivered. No more pesky shopping!
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3. TWITTER:
#LIVE STORYTELLING
it’s not only
aboutyouSocial media is just that—social. As Berland pointed
out, when you use Twitter as brand medium, you
have to remember that it’s not about advertising.
It’s about community building. Shopping is a
social experience generally. We tend to talk about
what we buy. But the transaction is generally
just one-on-one. Amex wanted to socialize that
and to connect a person’s Amex identity with
her Twitter identity. By making commerce into
a conversation, a simple purchase became, “so
much more.” We’re still wondering, “more what?”
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4. TWITTER:
#LIVE STORYTELLING
lift and shift,
baby!Sir Patrick Stewart (who entered stage left to a
roar of applause) is only 2 years into having a
Twitter identity. And yet, he says, “It has changed
my story. I have always enjoyed wackiness and
silliness, but I got stuck with these characters
who were so serious.” While Captain Picard and
Professor Xavier may have eclipsed Sir Patrick
Stewart’s love of irreverence, Twitter liberated
it. Animated by the bromance with Ian McKellan,
Stewart used Twitter to liberate his silly side. The
two iconic British actors tweeted out pictures and
messages that entertained them (all to promote
two fairly challenging plays on Broadway) and in
so doing changed the impression that the world
had of them. This is brand lift and shift in action.
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5. TWITTER:
#LIVE STORYTELLING
engage
(of course.)The single greatest disappointment was that Stewart
never uttered the word “engage.” Nevertheless, that
was the idea that underlay everything. As a result
of Stewart’s engagement with his audience, he now
gets calls for comedic roles. In fact, he’s taking the
leading part in an upcoming television comedy—
something he’d never thought he’d do. But there’s
a smaller, more meaningful side to it as well. As a
result of his Twitter presence, Stewart can now have
an ongoing dialogue with “a million strangers.”
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6. TWITTER:
#LIVE STORYTELLING
storytelling
retweetedStorytelling is the world’s oldest profession says our
own @ThamKhaiMeng, and he’s right. We’ve been
telling stories since the days of Homo Erectus. But the
rules have changed for Homo Twitter. Story may have
first been an oral tradition, but technology changed
things. We became receivers of story, not participants
in it. And we now think that’s the norm, but, says
Twitter, the real norm is what’s being liberated by
technology today. Storytelling is reverting to its live,
participatory roots, and we need to relearn how to
fashion a story that needs an audience to complete.
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