Storyworthy: everyone is/should be a storyteller

A great book for all the aspiring storytellers out there. And with that I mean: all of you. 

The author himself is an authority and has won several Moth awards (apparently epic storytelling awards) and gives you tips and tricks on how to tell compelling stories and make them stick.

Whether you’re with a company that tells stories (Nike?) or you want to tell a good story at the dinner table (everyone), want to persuade a prospective client into buying your products/services (all of ya) or are getting ready for that 2021-moment when you’re hitting the bar to pick up someone (I will not call out any names here)- you’re all in need of a good story.

I listened to this version of the book and am considering to listen to it again which in my world is a “big” thing (I am no fan of repetition – from tasks and projects to running the same round during a race, it makes me feel inefficient doing things over again).

Here are some points I jotted down while listening to Storyworthy:

To write/tell a story:

• Stay as close to the end as possible
• Think of your personal 5-second story. Nothing big
• Talk about feelings people can relate to. Some situations they cannot relate to, but with feelings, they can
• Crystal ball: predict what’s going to happen (e.g. “I was sure he was going to call the police“)
• Leave Bread crumbs – little details (e.g. “I left my crumpled McDonald’s suits in the back of my car“)
• Use the Hourglass – slow down and use a lot of details at the very end (e.g. “the hat was blue, the suit was blue, and I was wearing a shield as a suitcase“)
• Make the elephant change colours. Show the audience you have a stake in the problem but then turn it around and show them it was all about something else in the end (Flat tire at the beginning vs nature of people in the end)
• Humour – not necessary but good to have
• Make the story personal – the dead incident became a story about friendship
• Don’t ask a rhetorical question – make your audience time travel
• Downplay your physical presence if you’re telling the story in person (don’t wear distracting t-shirts)
• The beginning is the opposite of the end
• Use present tense
• Use short sentences
• Slippery slope: make the reader want to read the next paragraph
• Have a super-specific headline: 5 reasons why … / 7 things you can do to decrease your workload by 50%
• Don’t use “story” in the story. Downplay

Realisations:

• Some moments in life that you thought were dull, repetitive, not worthy in hindsight can become the pillars for your story
• Taking the unbeaten paths creates stories for you
• A page a day is a book within one year

To find inspiration:

• Draw a table
  • On top of the X-axes write 1.First 2. Last 3. Best 4. Worst
  • Write prompts on the left axes
  • Eg: kiss. (First, best, last, worst kiss)
• Crash and burn: give yourself 10 seconds to recall a memory and then switch to what comes up and proceed with that memory. You can start with counting numbers or colours. There is no wrong just write it down. Don’t have distractions around you