A Common Storytelling Mistake: Your Personal Story’s Not a TED Talk, But it Sounds Like One.

An easy way to fight the robotic nature of templates

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Any lived moment can become awe inspiring to an audience.

I’ve been producing storytelling shows for over a decade here in Chicago. And I’ve seen how, through the art and craft of storytelling from the stage, you can best offer up snippets of your life. With training people learn to wow friends, families, and audiences. You! Can turn even the smallest moments glow with universality and meaning.

If this skill is so thrilling and powerful, why does it prove elusive?

1. We get bad advice!
2. Storytelling stylings are VERY contextual.

Imagine watching a presenter click through slide 47 of “Quarterly Revenue Optimization Strategies.” While also trying to shoehorn in the 3 core beats of an 18 minutes TEDx. (What’s the problem, what’s in it for the audience, how are we going to solve the problem together.) Only they’re standing rigidly behind a mic stand like it’s a podium, reading bullet points verbatim.

This epidemic of corporate-speak storytelling has infected learning institutions and metastasized. Ultimately corrupting students’ passion and creativity. I see…