{Comm Chatter}  everything is go here, we're just waiting for the...
NORA: and I backed up the server
and i reset the thrusters and I'm thinking
of recording a video and
{snoring}
Houston, Houston are you there?
VO: OK, you just bored someone but it doesn't have to happen.
There's this age old thing called story
it has a structure we're
programmed understand.
You may have heard this from
all the recent books and
people talking about the power of story
and yet you may still be wondering how.
Here's your answer- The A.B.T.
It's the universal narrative template: AND
BUT and THEREFORE
it goes back to the Greeks to Hegel the philosopher
and all the way up to the creators of
South Park.
Every good story fits this template
Setup, Twist, Punchline - that's what comics call it.
Situation, conflict, resolution,
that's what MBAs call it.
And guess who's used it - Abe Lincoln - with the Gettysburg Address
and Watson and Crick when they reported
the structure of DNA.
Your favorite movies fall into the ABT
I could tell you the story of a little girl on a farm in Kansas
AND her life is boring,
BUT then one day a tornado takes her to the land of Oz,
THEREFORE she must find her way home.
Or a doctor could tell you your pulse is fine AND your blood pressure is normal
BUT she can hear a wheeze in your lungs
THEREFORE she's going to order some tests
You've heard of the Elevator Pitch - telling your whole story in a short elevator ride.
The ABT is the narrative structure that guarantees what you say is both concise and compelling.
NORA: Well, I'm annoyed that guy fell asleep
AND I have to call him back
BUT the ABT might help
THEREFORE I'm gonna give it a shot
VO: It's the ABT - The DNA of story
you can read more about it in my new
book "Houston, We Have A Narrative"
published by University of Chicago Press
