How to Tell a Story

29 min readJul 28, 2023

How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

By Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jennifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, and Kate Tellers

Everyone Has a Story

You’re a multitude of stories, where your collective experience has contributed to shaping the complex one-of-a-kind person that you are today. People have been telling stories since the dawn of time, because we all long for finding meaning in our lives to help explain the craziness that’s happening around us. Our ability to shapeshift into each other’s imaginations with only spoken words is truly magical. Most adults have the capacity to imagine, and stories bring other people’s experiences to life. When done well, stories have the ability to take us on a journey where we can both see and feel events that have never happened to us!

Everyone has a story, but very few can articulate them. All of us tell stories about ourselves all the time, and that’s because stories define us. To know someone well is to know their story, the experiences that have shaped them, the trials, tribulations, and turning points that have tested them to the breaking point. When we want someone to know us, we share stories about our childhood, our families, our school years, our hilarious mishaps, and crucial moments that changed our lives forever and made us who we are today.

When you choose to Share your story, you’re actually sharing a piece of yourself with the world. Stories explain what you value the most by decoding your history, deciphering who you truly are, and what you stand for, and translate it all to whomever takes the time to listen attentively. Stories are what makes families, friendships, and compassion possible. Stories are the currency of any community, where they can tear down walls, unite cultures, and allow people to realize that they are more alike than different. Stories allow us to do all that, while celebrating what makes us uniquely human.

Stories enhance our lives by deepening our bonds. That’s why well-crafted stories allow us to connect with perfect strangers and draw them closer than they could have ever imagined. When you’re a great storyteller, you can make people laugh, you can make them cry, or you could nudge them into taking action. Storytelling is vital to being alive, and as a matter of fact, you’ve been telling stories ever since you started talking.

There is a powerful connection between the storyteller and the audience, which comes from hearing the teller share their memories and life experiences with total strangers. Given how important storytelling is to bringing people together, this book is about giving structure to storytelling, so that you could pack a stronger punch when delivering your story. This book summary will allow you to deliver better stories about yourself and business, so that you could persuade people into taking the action you most desire. When delivering your story, you can sense what your audience are saying, feeling, and believe when you’re able to transfer your experience to your audience as if it were happening to them. Your secret to delivering a compelling story lies in your ability to make people feel something that is both familiar and foreign at the same time. If you want to spark another person’s brain, your story needs to be so good that people can’t ignore it.

We might start as being strangers, but by the end of the story, we become closer because the act of sharing personal stories builds empathy. Great stories involve Steaks and some sort of Transformation that unfolds. A story needs action, and the action must have consequences. You need to ask yourself what is gained or lost? What is the urgency that is at stake? What and where is the conflict? What is the goal and who or what is blocking it from happening? How did you get from point A to point B, and in what ways has it changed and shaped who you really are?

Developing Your Story

Finding your story requires the hard work of sifting through your life experiences, where you try to identify significant moments when you felt most like yourself. You are looking for moments in your life when something had happen to you that showed you a glimpse of who you truly are. You’re trying to find moments that changed the course of your life, which have led you to discover something entirely new.

Our lives are made of a series of seemingly endless stories and trying to convert many years into only a few minutes could be a daunting task. When trying to compile your story, you’ll find yourself reducing the story to a list of events that lack detail, which doesn’t carry the same emphasis and is with no emotion or meaning. It’s just a list! Long lists without detail or meaning are pretty boring. To make matters worse, when a story is spoken for the first time, it might feel a little silly, scary, or even stupid. That’s why stories need a plot!

If you’re struggling to find a compelling story that is buried deep within you, consider asking yourself the following questions:

What are some of the most defining moments in your life that’ve stuck with you for all these years?
What are the stories that you can’t wait to tell new friends or people you’ve just met?
If stories were like music, what would be your greatest hits that everybody would want to listen to?
What are crucial moments in your life the changed your long-held beliefs about yourself or the world around you?
What are some of them most defining moments in your life, where you’ve come-out a completely different person after the experience?
Why is your story so important for you to tell?
What are some of the moments in your life where you’ve lost all hope, and seemingly out of nowhere, some external force nudged you into realizing something that has been staring you dead in the eye all along?
In what ways would people describe you at the beginning of your story and who you’ve become by the end of your story?
What are some of your greatest fears that seem to cripple you from taking the next move?
If your life was a movie, what scenes would you pick to compose a trailer that would excite people enough that they would want to watch the whole movie?

In hindsight, we all hear and tell stories through the lens of our own experiences and our own internal and external biases. How we see the world shapes how we tell our stories.

People usually draw the details of their stories from disasters, calamities, heartbreak, struggle, and triumphant moments. While personal struggles can be part of a story, they don’t make a good story on their own. That’s because stories need some seasoning through drama, anticipation, mystery, unexpected twists, and cliffhangers! Stories happen when expectation meets reality. Think about moments in your life when your patterns were broken, how did it affect you? What changed in you, if any? Most importantly, what was the Eureka moment that changed your prospective about who you are that even you didn’t expect? Can you recall a moment that rocked you to your core?

The best stories involve some shift in the storyteller’s perspective as a result of something that happened to them. That’s why it’s important when mining for stories to consider moments of change in your life. Moments of inflection, where you’ve becomes someone or something entirely different. Think about some of the turning-point moments in your life, what was the catalyst that helped change or shape your worldview? Your story can be the catalyst that compels people to get excited about your idea! So, remember that discomfort is a catalyst for change. Sometimes the only way to get a spark is through friction and disagreement.

Sometimes change is sudden, while other times it’s gradual, and you can draw stories from both. Think about specific moments in your life when you’ve made a choice that changed the course of your life. Every great story that was ever told hinges on a decision during a crucial moment. When trying to consider potential stories that you’d like to share, it’s prudent that you think about your frame of mind at the time you’ve made that decision. You’re always making decisions that change the course of your life, so what makes the story you’re about to tell meaningful enough that’s worth sharing?

One of the key aspects of effective storytelling lies in your ability to connect with your audience. That’s why your audience really wants to know what you decided to do about the things that happened to you, so they can evaluate if they’re able to draw parallels in their own lives. If storytelling were to boil down to a single word; it’ll be: Connection!

Some of the best stories you’ve ever told were based on the biggest mistakes that you’ve ever made and the biggest tragedies that ever happen to you. Bad chapters can still create great stories, wrong paths can still lead to right places, and failed dreams can still create successful people. Sometimes you need to lose yourself to find yourself! Mistakes are universal, and sharing those mistakes with others can be both daunting and therapeutic.

When you share your mistakes and mishaps in the form of a compelling story, it makes you more relatable and that much more human. The best thing about a well-told story is that it can turn your most embarrassing moments into your greatest triumph. As a matter of fact, a good indicator that you’re on the right track of developing a great story is if it makes you feel a little uncomfortable to share it with others. It’s all about how well you structure your story and how you deliver it.

Usually, people love talking about themselves, and they also love telling stories that make them look good, but from the listener’s prospective, that might come across as bragging and self-indulgent. Nobody is interested in hearing how amazing you are because it does nothing for them. Your extraordinary accomplishments could be used as build-up to your story, but NOT the story itself. Telling people about your greatest wins is the easiest way for you to lose your audience. That’s because you end-up projecting at them instead of inviting them over to experience the world from your vantage point of view.

People usually like to root for the underdog, so celebrating your own successes becomes a lot more interesting and compelling if preceded by your struggles along the way to reach your coveted success. The best storytellers connect with their audience when they reveal their vulnerabilities because it makes them more human and less heroic.

Finding the Arc of Your Story

A big part of the foundation of your story is what the story itself means to you. That’s why compelling stories become captivating when the Stakes are high. Steaks come from moments where you feel that you have everything to gain or everything to lose. The interesting part about Stakes is that they’re defined by you; the storyteller, and no one else. The Stakes in your story are born out of what you want, need, must have, can’t live without, or desperately want to avoid. The Stakes in your story resonate deeply within you, and part of your job as a storyteller is to make people understand your “Why”.

Stakes are what gives a story urgency and energy because they create tension. Clearly articulated Stakes in your story establish “Why” you care, which tells people “Why” they should care. Clear Steaks compel people to root for you, so when working on developing your story, it’s essential to ask yourself: what are the Stakes? This will help you identify moments when you feel that you had something to gain or lose. There’s always a constant struggle between what you want and what’s working against you, and that’s why you need to ask yourself questions like: What do I want the most? Who or what is challenging me? Your story becomes far more compelling when your “Wants” and your “Why” are clear to listeners.

The Stakes in your story require attention, so here are some cues that can help you find where you can find Steaks in your story:

A problem that needs to be solved.
A hidden gem that is waiting to be discovered.
A transformation that is about to unfold.
A struggle over a tough choice.
A question that needs to be answered.
A mystery you’re trying to get to the bottom of.
An unexpected event.

Attention keeps the audience on the edge of their seats because they start to wonder: What will happen next? Will they or won’t they? How will this end? That’s why when developing your story, it’s important to explore how crucial moments have changed or jeopardized your chances of success, your safety, your innocence, your worldview, and your faith. What have you risked physically or emotionally to gain or lose something that you’ve coveted? Help your audience know what’s important to you!

Stakes help your story become more than just a list of events that happened to you. They show listeners why this story is important for you to tell, which will ultimately support the overall Arc of your story. So, what’s an Arc of a story? It’s just a term used to describe the plot of your story. The line that the story follows, from beginning to end because of the initial rise, peak, fall, self-discovery, and rise once again. It’s the series of actions that characterize your story. The Arc of your story runs from the beginning, through the middle, and to the end of your story.

The Arc of your story is about who you were at the beginning and who’ve you become by the end. The Arc of your story is about how you live your life differently as a result of the events that happened to you, and why is that meaningful to you. Transformations can range anywhere from Physical, Situational, Emotional, Behavioral, or Attitude transformation. These changes can feed into the Stakes of your story! So, why should anyone care about the shifts in your story? What’s in it for them?

Steaks are defined by context. That’s why when the Stakes are clear and the Arc of your story is relatable, your audience will start remembering incidents from their own lives where they can connect with your story. A story that lacks a clear Stake has no tension, which will make it fall flat and crickets would star chirping in the background.

Stories are about evolution, where a good story builds momentum so that by the end, things would change with some form of lasting effect that you can’t go back. A strong and compelling story shows how you are a different person because of the events that happened to you in your story. The best stories ever told aren’t just about the facts and what had happened, instead they’re about the storyteller’s ability to connect with people as if they’re walking right next to the storyteller, where they’re able to understand how the teller thought and felt at the time when the events unfolded.

One of the most rewarding things about developing your story is recognizing the significance of an experience that has shaped you. There’s a stark difference between the events of the story (the plot), and what the story is really all about (the discovery, self-reflection, realization, or transformation). By truly examining the events that happened to you in your life and how they’ve changed the essence of who you are, you can start to connect the dots and find meaning in your story.

So, what’s the trailer of your story? The scenes that you choose from the movie of your life will act as the roadmap to your story. Think of it as the path that would help guide and crystallize your story into taking its form. To help you choose the prospective of your story, consider asking yourself the following questions:

Is this story about you versus yourself; as in an internal struggle?
Is this story about you and your evolving relationship with another person?
Is this story about you versus the world around you?

Remember, Steaks are about showing your audience why you care, which helps them understand why they should care. You should also consider how the Arc of your story makes it more relatable to your audience. When it’s all said and done, your story is about what it means to you and your ability to use that as a tool to connect with others.

Structuring Your Story

There’s no one way to effectively structure a story, and the best structure supports the story you want to tell, which should feel organic and authentic and never forced or prescribed. When it comes to structuring your story, there are certain elements that can help your listeners follow your train of thought more easily from beginning to end.

The following 3 elements can help guide the structure of your story in a way that packs an emotional punch:

Scenes: Layout parts of your story that are both compelling and critical to the arc of the story itself to captivate your audience.
Summary: Move your listeners through the timeline of your story and build anticipation of what would happen next.
Reflection: Share your feelings, thoughts, and insight about what you’ve learned, evaluated, concluded, or how you’ve transformed into the person you are today.

As a storyteller, you are in charge of how you use scenes, summaries, and reflections, so if you flop, it’s all on you! The right number of details in your story can turn your scenes from a bland 2D narrative into an immersive 3D experience. The right details make your story vivid, real, tangible, and relatable. Details make your story unforgettable to your listeners because it allows them to tap into something more tangible. The specificity of details brings scenes to life! People will always forget what you say, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

Choose the structure that supports the journey you want your audience to take. Stories are like time capsules of your collective emotional experience of the events that happened to you. Stories are anything but static, where they grow and evolve just like people do. This is largely attributed to our memories being unreliable because it can be heavily influenced by our own internal biases. We tend to remember things based on our perception about reality, and in that sense, nobody’s story ever stays the same!

Just like Swiss cheese, memories are porous and imperfect because of how our brains are wired. Our brains are designed to be extremely energy-efficient, and while we have the anatomy to remember everything that happened in our lives, we trade that computational energy to understand things the way we want to remember them.

That’s why in order for our brains to consider an event important enough to remember, it would have to cover some of these 4 elements:

Novelty: When things are unusual or unfamiliar, they tend to stick vividly in your memory.
Emotional: When feelings dominate our thoughts, we tend to remember things strongly because our brains are designed to store emotionally charged information since it’s important for our survival.
Repetition: If you repeat a piece of information over, and over, and over again; eventually your brain will give-in.
Association: If you already know a little bit about something, you can associate the new piece of information with the old ones, which will help you remember them more vividly because you have cognitive hooks in your brain that allow you to tether new pieces of information with existing ones.

Our memory acts like scaffolding for who we are as people, which includes defining our own personal history. Contrary to popular belief, our memories don’t act like a YouTube video, instead, our memories are fallible and inaccurate, where they can be modified every time we recall them based on what we’ve experienced in our lives. We usually have complex and conflicting opinions about events as they unfold, so you can only imagine how our stories might change when we try to recall them from memory.

When it comes to storytelling, it’s crucial that you describe the scenes from the inside-out. This will allow your listeners to experience your story by taking them through the events the way they’ve unfolded in your life, so that they could re-live your experience as if it happened to them. To my surprise, very often big moments of our lives don’t immediately change us, they act as a catalyst for change. In other words, change usually cascades itself in a domino effect way, which starts small and mushrooms into something big. We usually realize the magnitude of an experience only in hindsight and after years of reflection.

While developing your story, it’s important that you choose specific details that highlight important moments, create emotion, and build tension in your story, but don’t overdo it by putting-in overly specific details that might confuse your listeners. When in doubt, try to summarize your entire story in one sentence and evaluate if the detail supports the overall arc of your story or not.

When you tell a story, you need to take your listeners somewhere, but you can’t keep driving around in circles. Don’t feel you need to get fancy with your structure because sometimes the best way is to simply start at the beginning and tell it from there on.

There are 3 primary storytelling structures that you could consider when developing your story, which are as follows:

Chronological: This is the most compelling structure to any story that lets the story unfold in the order that it happened.
Two Chronologies in Tandem: In this structure, storytellers cut back and forth between two stories that unfold simultaneously, where each story has its own tensions and conflicts while being connected to each other and eventually resolve together.
Flashback: In this story structure, you can temporarily pause the story to give the listeners information that’s vital and integral to the body of the story. Flashbacks can come in one of three forms:

a) The Classic Flashback: In this structure, you’d be telling a story chronologically then reach a compelling moment where you would take your listeners to a flashback in order to provide context or allow your listeners to linger in the excitement. This structure adds energy to your story and builds suspense.

b) The Cliffhanger: Unlike a classic flashback that can happen at any time during your story, a Cliffhanger is exclusively used at the beginning of your story. This structure can help create drama and tension and also introduce the stakes right out of the gate. You can pause the scene and flashback to explain how you got there in the first place, leaving your listeners hanging and asking themselves: What happened? That’s when you start telling the story chronologically until you return to the edge of the cliffhanger moment where you’ve left off. The trick here is to make sure that the scenes connect in a way that is clear to the listener, otherwise you’ll confuse everyone including yourself.

c) Multiple Flashbacks: Instead of just having one flashback as a frame for your story, you can include multiple and shorter flashbacks throughout your story, where each flashback can give context and motivation for what is about to unfold in the main story. This is a creative way of demonstrating how the past and the present live together as a continuum.

As a storyteller, you need to constantly ask yourself: What was unique to my experience? Why am I the only person who can tell this story? In what ways can I connect with the audience? How can I deliver my story in a compelling way to an audience who may not have lived through the same experience themselves? Remember, use the classic flashback to temporarily pause your story and add necessary information. Choose a Cliffhanger to add tension and create drama to give the story a kickstart. Use multiple flashbacks to give a backstory and illustrate motivation and create anticipation. You could also consider connecting the beginning with the end of your story. You can do this by calling back the beginning of your story towards the end of it to create continuity, which will help you land the Arc of your story more vividly.

The Power of Story

We’re all emotional creatures who feel nostalgic about people and places and sentimental about our own childhood. Emotions are the glue that binds storytellers with their listeners. As different as we may be, emotions are our common denominator. Think about it, if you listen to a story that’s been stripped away of emotions, it’s like hearing a Lego instruction manual being red out-loud. Your story should explore universal feelings that is told in a way that is uniquely you! When you’re authentically delivering your story and you’ve peppered it with emotions, your listeners will recognize your willingness to be vulnerable, and that’s how they’ll connect with you!

I think it’s funny how we can sometimes find pieces of ourselves in the reflection of others about our own stories. Usually, our favorite stories allow us to experience a range of emotions. When you deepen the emotions in your story, you allow people to experience your story themselves. When stories are delivered effectively, they may compel your listeners to quietly empathize with you or have a physical reaction to what they’re hearing from you. The best stories might give you chills, tears, or even make you laugh out-loud. When you share what you’ve felt in the past, you’re creating a connection with your listeners in the present.

Stakes aren’t possible without emotions because what’s in jeopardy is tethered to your frame of mind, whether you were embarrassed, fearful, or full of doubt. When you’re actively remembering crucial moments that you’re describing in your story, your listeners can hear the emotion in your words and the tone of your voice, whether you realize it or not.

When storytellers allow themselves to be vulnerable, they in fact allow their listeners to see themselves in the story as if it were their own. It’s one thing to describe how things looked or sounded, but it’s in an entirely different story when you punctuate it with emotions. That’s because you bring the listeners into how you were actually feeling in the moment itself as it unfolded, and if you don’t, your listeners might misinterpret the truth about your experience as something other than what you’ve intended. Experience has taught me that if I’m developing a story and it feels safe and easy for me to tell, I know that I haven’t dug deep enough.

When it comes to humor in storytelling, it can be quite tricky because they can either magnify your emotions or push them away. People usually revert to humor to protect themselves from feeling vulnerable, and it’s also considered the most challenging form of performance. Think about it this way, when you’re learning a new language, the last thing you’ll learn about the language is its humor because it goes beyond the actual words that are being mentioned. When humor is dovetailed nicely into your story, there is an immediate validation in laughter, and it’s so much fun to bring joy and laughter to people. However, you can’t always force funny because shoehorning a joke into a sad story just doesn’t work. Your stories should always follow your natural conversational style and rhythm, because if you force it, people can tell. Not everybody’s naturally funny, so practice caution when considering humor in your story.

One of the most effective ways to get people on your side is to have a sense of humor about yourself because it shows listeners that you trust them, which creates intimacy. Sometimes, your most vulnerable moments have a lot of humor, and people like to see that in storytellers. For a listener to laugh with a storyteller one minute and then feel their heart sink with empathy the next can be a satisfying experience for them. Offering a moment of laughter with your listeners is like a gift to them, where it bonds you with them and gives them a moment of relief in the middle of an emotional roller coaster ride. When delivering your story, it’s always important to preach from the scars instead of your wounds, because scars have healed, but wounds haven’t and you don’t want that process of healing to unfold while you’re telling the story. Sometimes, sharing an emotional story with your audience can be a healing process for you, the storyteller.

When you end your story, you need to make sure that you leave your audience feeling resolved, where they clearly understand where you’ve taken them. Towards the end of your story, you need to make sure that the overarching question of the story has been answered and a different “you” has now been revealed. Great stories compel people to take action! You want your audience to think, reflect, and find relevance between your story and theirs. If for whatever reason you can’t find a satisfying ending to your story, sometimes it’s wise for you to go back to the very beginning because it holds the secret to your resolution.

Towards the end of your story, never make the mistake of telling your listeners what to think, or which conclusions they need to make. Instead, keep it in your own experience, where you articulate how the events have changed you and how it made you feel. People usually don’t really like to be told what or how to think. Respect your audience enough to draw their own conclusions instead of priming them. Trust me, your audience will respect you far more when you give them the freedom to make their own decisions. That’s why I always choose a last line that will help my audience remember what they’ve just experienced. Stories usually end on a note of personal reflection, which should be followed by a segue to your call to action. What would you want them to do next?

The best businesses that I’ve ever encountered in my life are the ones that clearly articulate how their products or services created impact because of their contributions that’s portrayed in a storytelling way! Think of Walt Disney; the king of storytelling, if you ask me, where I believe that the secret to his success wasn’t in his ability to develop amazing animations, compelling motion pictures, amazing theme parks, and not even his unique memorable characters. It’s all about the stories that he told and was able to connect with people on, which compelled them to take action in ways that benefited the Walt Disney company.

Tips To Help You Find Your Story

In case you need some help finding your story, here are some themes that would help you get started. Choose one of the triggers and see where it takes you, and remember, there are no wrong answers because the stories are yours:

Firsts

Think about a breakthrough moment
Think about the biggest regret you’ve had in your life
When was a moment that changed your life forever?

8:00am to 5:00pm

In what ways is the bureaucratic system at your organization affecting your decisions?
When was a time that you didn’t see eye to eye with your management?
How do you feel about people being promoted at your organization whom you strongly believe aren’t qualified?

Lost & Found

Have you ever been searching for something all your life and later found it closer than you thought?
Can you think of a time when you’ve lost yourself, and then found it in the most unexpected places?
Have you ever felt that you’ve lost happiness and found it buried deep within yourself?
In your pursuit of finding your purpose, what was the journey that you’ve taken that caused you to trip over it in ways that changed your life forever?

So, what’s your Story?

Takeaways

Every great story that was ever told hinges on a decision during a crucial moment.
If you’ve lived and breathed, you have a story to tell.
Everyone has a story, but very few can articulate it.
Stories are the original Virtual Reality simulators, but unlike VRs, no goggles are required when delivering beautifully narrated stories.
You are nothing more than a reflection of all the stories that happened to you.
If you’re willing to be vulnerable, you can tell compelling stories.
If your story doesn’t give you the goosebumps, you can’t expect your listeners to be inspired.
Your secret to delivering a compelling story lies in your ability to make people feel something that is both familiar and foreign at the same time.
We all hear and tell stories through the lens of our own experience and our own internal and external biases.
How we see the world shapes how we tell our stories.
Great stories hinge on change, which is what nudges people into seeing themselves in the storyteller’s shoes, and that’s what compels people to relate to the story.
Sharing a story is an act of courage and generosity.
A story is just a theory in your head, so test it by saying it out loud.
The best stories involve some shift in the storyteller’s perspective as a result of something that happened to them.
Stories happen when expectations meet reality.
Some of the best stories ever told were based on the biggest mistakes ever made.
A good indicator that you’re on the right track of developing a good story is if it makes you feel a little uncomfortable to share with others.
Vulnerability creates the best connection with your audience.
The best storytellers connect with their audience when they reveal their vulnerability because it makes them more human and less heroic.
Your biggest mistakes are the seeds to your greatest stories.
“Honesty and Empathy do not flourish in the expectation of perfection” ~ Meg Bowles
Bad chapters can still create great stories, wrong paths can still lead to right places, and failed dreams can still create successful people.
Steaks in your stories come from moments where you feel that you have everything to gain or everything to lose.
The Stakes in your story are born out of what you want, need, must have, can’t live without, or desperately want to avoid.
Clearly articulated Stakes in your story establish “Why” you care, which tells people “Why” they should care.
Your story can be the catalyst that compels people to get excited about your idea!
There’s a stark difference between the events of the story (the plot), and what the story is really all about (the discovery, self-reflection, realization, or transformation).
The right amount of detail in your stories can turn your scenes from a bland 2D narrative into an immersive 3D experience.
People will always forget what you say, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
Very often big moments of our lives don’t immediately change us, they act as a catalyst for change.
We usually realize the magnitude of an experience only in hindsight and after years of reflection.
Emotions are the glue that binds storytellers with their listeners.
As different as we may be, emotions are our common denominator.
Your story should explore universal feelings that are told in a way that is uniquely you!
When you deepen the emotions in your story, you allow people to experience your story themselves.
When you share what you’ve felt in the past, you’re creating a connection with your listeners in the present.
If you’re developing a story and it feels safe and easy to tell, know wholeheartedly that you haven’t dug deep enough.
One of the most effective ways to get people on your side is to have a sense of humor about yourself because it shows your listeners that you trust them, which creates intimacy.
Sometimes, your most vulnerable moments have a lot of humor, and people like to see that in storytellers.
When delivering your story, it’s always important to preach from the scars instead of your wounds.
The beginning and ending of your story are equivalent to saying hello and goodbye in social settings.
Stories usually end on a note of personal reflection, which should be followed by a segue to your call to action.
The audience plays an important role in the art of storytelling because you feed off their energy, which impacts the delivery of your story and its impact.
When telling a story, you don’t need to blurt out the moral of the story, instead, tell your audience what you think and how you feel, and let them draw their own conclusions.
When telling a story, you want to be able to really tell it instead of reciting it.
When delivering your story orally, silence can be just as important as the words themselves, so consider pausing during crucial moments in your story to allow your audience to reflect as if the events were happening to them.
It’s natural to be nervous before telling your story orally because being nervous tells your audience that you care.
Having courage while speaking isn’t the absence of fear, rather it’s your willingness to face your fears and overcome them.
People hear stories through the lens of their own experience and worldview, so it’s absolutely crucial that you connect with your audience, and it takes practice to make that connection.
The best businesses are the ones that are able to clearly articulate how their products or services create an impact because of their contributions in a storytelling manner!