Taming The Story Telling Animal

Stories — You Just Can’t Help Yourself.

In his brilliant book ‘Story Smart’ Kendall Haven sets up an experiment very similar to this.

Read the following exchange.

Character #1: Have you seen Fred?

Character #2: Well, I didn't want to say anything but I saw a bike outside Debbie’s flat.

Then he asks you to do two things.

1. Think about what is going on here.
2. Figure out the relationship between Characters #1 and #2 and Fred and Debbie.

Go on. Do it now.

That grinding you just heard in your head was your brain creating a story.

And you couldn't help yourself.

I gave you partial information and your mind did a few things.

1. It assumed that all of the information I gave you belonged together.
2. It elaborated, interpreted and projected meaning onto that information.
3. And it jumped to conclusions.

And every single person who reads that scene where two people talk about Fred and Debbie will do the same.

Because we are story telling animals.

We create story to help us interpret and interact with the world around us.

But Was it the Story I Wanted You to Hear?

Maybe.

But probably not.

And if not then it is 100% my fault.

I don’t blame you in the slightest.

You see, I gave you too much wriggle room.

I withheld vital information such as context and relevance. I let you distort my intended message through your own filter. I gave you the space to make my story into your story.

And now I’m frustrated that you didn't understand me.

And this is happening every day in every city around the world.

So What’s the Answer to This Conundrum?

Simple.

Develop well structured and relevant stories then tell them with power and feeling.

Master that and you will be a Story Ninja.

And a Story Ninja has one job and one job only: to help their audience accurately understand, remember and apply the words that land in their minds.

This blog is all about helping you to master this art through the power of story. It’s about helping you to craft and deliver great tales that inspire, influence and persuade.

It will be a fun ride as we learn from the greats and discover the how, why and what of story.

And by the end I want you all to be able to:

1. Know how to engage your audience.
2. Know how to hold their attention.
3. Know how to harness the natural storytelling instinct in their minds
4. And bypass their desire to distort.

So strap in Ninja, we’ve got work to do.

See you next time.