Theme - Part 3 of the Literary Elements Series
The Literary Elements Series: Part 3 of 5
Photo by Enzo Muñoz from Pexels
Element #3 - Theme
Today, we’ll look at Theme. Themes are the patterns we see running through a story. It is not the main action but more of a recurring idea or message - an underlying meaning.
If your story focuses on a character working to start up their own business and quit their day job, the theme would be hard work and perseverance, maybe even happiness in the pursuit of a passion.
Some common themes are:
Overcoming fear to achieve your goals.
The danger of developing technology without oversight.
Love is not always enough.
Love conquers all.
Every action has a consequence.
Humans create their own destiny.
The power of forgiveness.
To give you an example, I’ll share another story.
A Story
Although my grandfather came to Canada at only three years of age, he continued to have a deep, abiding love for the land of his birth his entire life. He often spoke about Scotland, which he’d visited many times as an adult. He talked about the landscape, castles, food, golf, and Scotch, all of which held a special place in his heart. Where he came from significantly shaped who he became.
He believed that you can be whatever you want to be in life if you work hard, learn the necessary skills and refuse to accept failure. This was certainly true in his business life, where he worked his way from a 15-year-old at a summer job who’d recently lost his father to a successful businessman who owned his own home and travelled the world.
He demonstrated that taking the time and having the patience to nurture something over the long term will pay off in growth. I saw this each year in his magnificent rose garden, which was one of his fondest achievements. He used to host garden parties in June so that his friends and family could also appreciate the beauty.
He valued education and was widely read, doing in-depth research on topics such as gardening and business as well as consuming stories and poems for pleasure, especially by Scottish writers.
He always took an interest in family, from distant ancestors to the cousins in Scotland he continued to correspond with to his children and grandchildren here in Canada. He did his best to pass along the wisdom he’d learned along the way to the succeeding generations.
Lessons for Business
Theme is important in business because it brings purpose and continuity to your story to build trust. It demonstrates your values, values that your ideal client will identify with and share. Theme is related to your overall vision for your business and your definition of success for yourself and for your clients.
The theme is your WHY - why you are telling this story and the message you want to get across to your clients. One of my favourite themes for my business, Katherine Burrows Creative, is the power of storytelling. So much so, there’s a whole blog series on how powerful stories can be for your business and brand. Click here to read.
Relate to a Business Setting
You may have multiple themes, but you likely have one main theme and two or three supporting themes.
For me, under the overall theme of storytelling for brands, I have three supporting themes:
Storytelling creates strong, authentic connections.
Storytelling helps prospects remember you better.
Storytelling helps prospects remember you longer.
Business Owner / CEO
Your theme will demonstrate your values, style, and program.
If you are a meditation coach, your theme might be that small increases in mindfulness create big changes. And your program is then all about helping clients make those manageable, daily changes.
If you are a business coach, a great theme is that great marketing starts with the right message. Your program will help your clients refine and express their message.
If you are a speaking coach, your clients will be empowered by the theme of overcoming stage fright. In your program, you will show them that they don’t need to eliminate the fear, but conquer it.
Your Ideal Client
The client’s theme will relate to yours, but will be in the form of struggles, recurring battles, or recurring wishes. Using the examples above, here are the corresponding client’s themes.
Meditation: the constant struggle to stay focused on the present; the frustration and even shame of trying to clear their mind and failing.
Business: always trying to be all things to all clients; the struggle to find a viable niche that fits their skills.
Speaking: feeling like they never know what to say; worry about saying the wrong thing or freezing completely when they need to talk.
Here are some things to think about when choosing an appropriate theme for your brand:
What constant battles is your ideal client fighting?
What problem are they trying to overcome?
What keeps them in the struggle and prevents them from defeating it?
What’s Next?
Spend some time making notes about themes for both yourself and your ideal client. Keep asking why. Really get inside their head. This is key to discovering what motivates your ideal client, what their emotional triggers are and what you can do to get them to take action (that is, hire you).
Intentional, consistent themes make your brand storytelling so powerful it multiplies your impact.
Stay tuned for the next part in this five-part series on Literary Elements. We’ll talk about Plot next.