Have you ever heard this? The small details are the biggest pieces of a good story
I was lucky enough to get a good lesson in effective storytelling from none other than Jim Nantz of CBS Sports.
One of my roles as the media relations contact for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team early in my career was to help prepare television and radio broadcasters who were calling our games. Like my counterparts in the profession, I would compile a document of notes, statistics and other background information about our team and make it available to media.
A master storyteller: Jim Nantz, CBS Sports
T.V. and radio talent would often want to sit down with me prior to tip-off to walk through my information package (known in the business as game notes) and Nantz was no different. In fact, he was the best I ever encountered when it came to mining for details and context.
We had a player on our team named Mark Vershaw. He happened to be the only married player in the Big Ten Conference at the time and I used that note quite often with broadcasters. It was a unique piece of information and it was easy for them to convey at an opportune time. So, as Nantz went through our roster with me prior to a Big Ten Tournament game, I of course mentioned that Vershaw was the only married player in the conference. Then things got interesting for me.
“What’s Mark’s wife’s name?” Nantz’s question surprised me for a moment because no one had ever asked me, but I happened to know it was Natalie, so I replied and told him she was a school teacher.
Nantz then asked me what she taught. And what the name of the school was. And where the school was located. “I don’t know,” I finally stammered, embarrassed that I didn’t have the level of detail he was looking for. Nantz said it was no problem and we continued. But I never forgot that moment.
There are many reasons Nantz is an award-winning, hall-of-fame level broadcaster. One of them is his storytelling abilities and that comes partially from his knowledge that the details of a story are everything. Which of the following two options paints a clearer picture for you?
“Mark Vershaw is the only married player in the Big Ten.”
“Mark Vershaw and his wife, Natalie, are the only married couple in the Big Ten. While Mark has helped lead the Badgers into the Big Ten semifinals today, Natalie has been teaching fourth-grade English at Hamilton Elementary just outside Madison in Middleton, Wisconsin.”
It’s important to choose details intentionally and establish context thoughtfully. Stories that master detail and context leave a lasting impression. So do legendary broadcasters.