Tag: Storytelling

This American Life – Fan Data and Insights

I was first introduced to This American Life about a decade ago, right after the podcast, then a relatively novel media format, got sensationalized by the true crime show Serial. Only later did I find out about the shared DNA between the two shows. Life comes full circle.

Over the past thirty years, since Ira Glass started This American Life, the show has grown from a personal passion project (formerly called Your Radio Playhouse) discussing the everyday lives of ordinary Americans into one that touches millions of listeners, covering major events across the globe and making a real impact on the people its team cares about.

As the show approaches its 900th episode, every one of which I’ve listened to at least once and many more than that, I decided to dissect it and find the recipe for what makes it such a fascinating show to me and millions of others: what it talks about week over week, who has been telling these stories, what makes them so immersive to listen to, and all the real-life impact it has made. Let’s go.

https://milesmeters.com/pieces/this-american-life/

I used 3 weeks to gather data, analyze, and build a site dissecting ~900 episodes of This American Life over 30 years. As a die-hard fan of the show, some insights are as expected (e.g., themes, contributors), but some are genuinely surprising (e.g., songs & artists).

https://www.reddit.com/r/ThisAmericanLife/comments/1wk1scu/900_episodes_over_30_years_data_insights_of_this/

STAR / S.T.A.R Storytelling Format

The situation, task, action, result (STAR) format is a technique used by interviewers to gather all the relevant information about a specific capability that the job requires.

Situation: The interviewer wants you to present a recent challenging situation in which you found yourself.

Task: What were you required to achieve? The interviewer will be looking to see what you were trying to achieve from the situation. Some performance development methods use “Target” rather than “Task”. Job interview candidates who describe a “Target” they set themselves instead of an externally imposed “Task” emphasize their own intrinsic motivation to perform and to develop their performance.

Action: What did you do? The interviewer will be looking for information on what you did, why you did it and what the alternatives were.

Results: What was the outcome of your actions? What did you achieve through your actions and did you meet your objectives? What did you learn from this experience and have you used this learning since?

Here’s some interview questions you can try this with:
Tell me about a time you showed leadership.
Tell me about a time you were successful on a team.
Tell me about something you’ve accomplished that you are proud of.
Tell me about a time you had to manage conflicting priorities.
Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake.
Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult person.
Tell me about a time you had to persuade someone.
Tell me about a time you disagreed with someone.
Tell me about a time you created a goal and achieved it.
Tell me about a time you surpassed people’s expectations.
Tell me about a time you had to handle pressure.
Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly.

Wikipedia