Tell your story
Why I believe stories are important and my unique approach to designing your story. Find services I offer, and some of my clients and testimonials.
On this page:
- Why are stories important?
- My approach to telling your story
- Services
- Clients
- Testimonials
Why are stories important?
Margaret Atwood describes storytelling as “built into the human plan. We come with it.” Stories shape our lives.
“All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us.” Richard Wagamese
Stories connect us. They help us to understand each other, foster intimacy and evoke empathy, as they bring us into community with each other. An old Scottish traveller proverb says: “A story should be told eye to eye, mind to mind, heart to heart.”
Storytelling is universal and an ancient technology. We’ve used it for millennia, before words there were pictures and oral traditions. Those who study history study stories.
“Storytelling continues to be relevant right now and will continue to be relevant for as long as humans feel the need to tell each other stories.” Sharon King-Campbell
Storytelling is a radical act – stories have the power to change cultural narratives. As Plato said: “Those who tell stories rule society.”
My approach to telling your story
Trees are ancient storytellers, they keep a record of more than we read in books. And trees alive now will tell our stories to our future generations. They live in community and connection with other trees through the mycorrhizal network, and the wider more-than-human world around them. They are the original ‘wood wide web’.
All of our stories need tending to. Working on digital products, I have always said ‘websites are gardens, not castles’. Effective sustainable communications live in carefully curated cycles, like the regenerative cycle in nature, where we compost the leaves that no longer serve and support new roots, branches and leaves to grow.
I work with the metaphor of trees when designing your communications.
- Your tree is your unique offering.
- Your roots are your values.
- Your soil is the culture that nourishes you, your connection to land, language and the community you’re rooted in .
- Your trunk is the strength of your unique story, what holds it.
- Your branches are your ways to reach out into the world, your marketing.
- Your leaves are your story, which should regenerate cyclically.
I run training on plain English and accessible content design, so any content and communications we design together will be inclusive.
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” Jack Kerouac
Services
- audience, competitor and market research
- branding strategy
- content and communications strategy
- search engine optimisation (SEO)
- information architectures
- user-centred design
- governance frameworks
- training in Plain English and digital inclusivity
- content and UX design
- editorial style guides and tone of voice
- social media strategy and plans
- content calendars and editorial boards
- email marketing
- marketing plans.
See my CV and achievements on LinkedIn.
Clients
Some of my clients include (for a full list see my LinkedIn profile):
- Tamera Peace Research and Education Center
- Foundation for Intentional Community
- Enough! Scotland
- Asthma and Lung UK
- Nottingham Trent University
- Nationwide Building Society
- RSPB
- Stagecoach Buses
- Guide Dogs
- Brighton and Hove City Council
- Home Office
- Department for Education.
Testimonials
Gail is extremely knowledgeable and has a great strategic mind with the ability to attend to small details. She showed a high level of skill in planning, content creation, accessibility, and management. Her input helped improve our processes and drive us toward better workflows. She is professional, kind, and creative, and I appreciated working with and learning from her.
Gail is a focussed and dedicated consultant and project manager. Her knowledge of the online arena, commercial sensitivity and approachable manner all helped to keep our project moving and deliver results.
