DESCRIPTION
Using non-digital, physical, oral, vocal or hands-on storytelling tools and connection rooted in material presence…
This method is a framework for crafting and communicating stories using non-digital media (voice, paper, drawing, collage, physical objects, movement) and in face-to-face or material-anchored settings. It emphasizes sensory, hands-on engagement, presence, craftsmanship, and the use of tactile or real-world analog tools to deepen emotional connection, attention, and memory. Visual storytelling is related to it, as long as it isn’t digital. It’s USP is that in an age saturated by screens and digital noise, analog storytelling stands out by anchoring experiences in the physical world, tapping into deeper emotional and embodied attention. It often slows down the process, which allows richer reflection, more personal voice, stronger group bonding, and often more memorable content. In business settings, it can support workshops, brand stories, internal culture building, leadership retreats, product ideation, or client engagements where authenticity and connection are key. Or the classical approach by just collecting or gathering content like stories or explanations in text or book format.
ORIGIN
It emerges from many traditions: oral storytelling, theater, design thinking, education, workshop facilitation, arts & crafts.
Practices like “analog vs digital” contrast are common in creative education (e.g. analog data visualization, analog workshops) and media arts or digital tools to transform content.
Approximately needed time
- Step 1: 1 hours
- Step 2: 1 hours
- Step 3: 1 hours
- Step 4: 1 hours
- Step 5: 1 hours
- TOTAL: 5 hours
METHOD
MATERIAL YOU COULD NEED: Physical tools like paper, pens, markers, paint, collage materials (magazines, glue, scissors), poster boards for creative workshops. Additionally some objects and artifacts (found objects, props) that can help metaphor or narrate the story. Space for group work (tables, walls or boards to hang visuals).
Recording tools if stories are to be captured
STEPS
PREPARE AND SETUP
Reason is to engage participants physically and sensorily, and to shift mindset away from digital or planning mode. Having the materials and setting in place lowers friction and primes creativity. It also signals that this is going to be a different kind of story work, slower, present(er), with more material and more time for deeper “offline” content. Gather all analog materials and lay them out clearly (paper, pens, collage supplies, props etc.). and establish the context: where stories are going to be shared, what style or tone is desired (personal, metaphorical, brand voice etc.), what constraints or freedoms exist, etc. Set safety and trust environment: encourage openness and vulnerability; clarify that the analog tools are about expression, not “art quality.”
Example: A brand retreat workshop begins by placing large sheets of butcher paper, markers, old magazines, and prompt cards on tables. The facilitator invites everyone to touch, cut, paste, sketch, emphasizing that good ideas can come from messy beginnings.
CLUSTER IDEAS
Stories that resonate come from personal experience or group shared challenges. Using analog prompts (objects, drawings, metaphors) helps people access non-linear, emotional, less filtered material. This step helps surface authentic content. Use storytelling prompts: metaphors (bring an object that represents a challenge), story dice or cubes, prompt cards (“a time I felt overlooked”, “when success came unexpectedly”, “a turning point”).
Allow individuals to sketch or cut/collage images that evoke a memory or idea and share in pairs/small groups, or as a circle, to vocalize story seeds and find similarities.
Example: Participants choose a magazine image that resonates with their idea of “transformation” and share what about that image connects to their own work. Another prompt: “choose an item from your desk that tells a story about your team.”.
CRAFT THE STORY
The physical act of shaping story elements (sketching, collage, object placement, oral rehearsing) helps internalize the narrative, brings out metaphor, and can lead to surprising insights or connections that purely cognitive (digital/text) drafting often misses.
Participants develop their story: sketch story arcs, create visual metaphors via collage or use physical objects, or write oral scripts. Focus both on content (what happened and what is happening and what you want) and form (how you will tell it: voice, metaphors, sensory detail). Encourage using sensory description (smell, sound, texture) and vivid imagery.
Example: A team member makes a collage showing “growth” with plant imagery, soil, roots, shoots; overlays text snippets about what enabled growth; another builds a small sculptural metaphor using found objects to represent obstacles.
SHARE & LISTEN: ANALOG
Sharing stories in person, with analog media, encourages presence and more empathetic listening. Feedback helps refine clarity, emotional impact, and ensures that the story resonates with others. It also builds group connection and trust. Each participant shares their story: perhaps showing their collage or object, reading their oral script. Others give feedback: what they felt, what images stood out, what was clear or confusing, and get suggestions. Encourage emotional reactions (“I saw this, and I felt…”) not just logical critique.
Example: A participant shows a sculpture they created and another says “when you placed the broken branch there I felt tension, but you might make it clearer what that branch is a metaphor for (a missed opportunity maybe)”.
REFINE
After initial crafting & feedback, polishing helps ensure the story is coherent, meaningful, usable. Also, planning how/where it will be delivered (verbally, physically, possibly digitally later) ensures purpose and impact. Hybrid forms (analog + digital) can preserve analog authenticity while enabling scale. Adjust the story based on feedback: tighten narrative arc, refine metaphors, improve flow, ensure clarity and decide on format: live oral presentation, physical display (collage on wall, object installation), photo or scan of artwork, hybrid video + analog art, etc.
Example: A team uses their collages in an internal exhibition; one member records oral narratives with audio, others scan their artwork and present both in a short video for the website.
Analog methods yield particularly strong memory retention and emotional engagement because of multisensory involvement. and they reduce “digital fatigue” and can re-energize creative thinking.
Risks: sometimes analog work takes more time than expected and materials or space logistics. Some storytellers may feel self-conscious or less confident with “craft” dimensions—facilitator needs to reduce perfectionism pressure. Hybrid analog-digital can combine strengths (e.g. analog creation, digital amplification) but also lose part of the audience.
Cultural context matters: some groups respond more to material/hands-on work differently and others may be more hesitant participating or even consuming.
PROMINENT BRANDS USING IT:
All those using haptics like fashion, luxury and crafts, but also those with physical installations, pop-ups and unboxing as a phenomenon is related to it too…
ANECDOTES:
Showing data with lego, can make digital data go analog…
Design thinking, even though being a digital product management framework is using analog methods like prototyping for more sensory in the story.
