The Storytelling Manual for Architects
By: Juliette Mitchell of Architypal
If I had my way, you’d be involved in every building that ever gets built. You’d have a say in every masterplan. And you’d have a voice in every high-level conversation about the built environment.
Those lines are from the very first page of The Storytelling Manual for Architects, and I hope they get across the height – and depth – of my ambition for you. I trust, too, that you can sense the urgency in my voice and see how much there is at stake.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t storytelling as a nice-to-have or as an anecdote here and there. This is storytelling as a profession-critical opportunity to reframe and lead the conversation. We’re talking about story as the backbone and the underlying structure, and story as a way of ordering our thoughts and connecting with those around us.
To put it bluntly, storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you have. As humans we’re hardwired to tune into and respond to the narrative arc of a story. It fits with the way we think and the way we communicate. It gives us the means to share in someone else’s experience, and for them to share in ours. And it brings together heart and mind, allowing us to make sense of the world and our place within it.
So, whatever our subject, we’re going to get in step with the logical progression of a story, and we’re going to keep it really simple, with just three simple acts: shared purpose, transformation, and positive outcome – the final piece that so often gets forgotten. I’ll take you through those, step by step, and show exactly how they’ll work for you.
But what difference will all this really make, and what impact will it really have?
When sceptical stakeholders are hampering the process, it’s your story that builds connection, confidence and trust. When a judging panel needs convincing, it’s your story that shows the solid thinking and unexpected care behind the vision. When a future client has to take your word for it, it’s your story that lets them experience what’s possible for them. And when that same client, further down the line, is struggling to keep hold of your vision, it’s your story that unleashes their imagination and takes them there.
Storytelling fills so many gaps, solves so many problems, and keeps everyone on track. If you want to open up the conversation, bring others on the journey with you, and show the difference you can make, then there really is no better way.
I’ve spent the last eight years helping architects tell better stories, and now I’m about to hang up the tools of my trade for something new. But it felt wrong to push away my keyboard, clear my desk and simply walk away. This book, then, is my way of retracing my steps, inviting you to join me, and leaving a few footprints in my wake.
Buy The Storytelling Manual for Architects here for £16, plus shipping (£2.80 within the UK, £7.30 to anywhere in the world).
