The #1 Mistake In Storytelling & What To Do About It.

This year alone, I’ve listened to thousands of business stories in my workshops and coaching. While each one of them was very unique, almost every single raw story missed one key element:

They failed to bring to life key moments of the story.

Examples:

1. “My boss was angry with me that I had not sent the presentation in time.”
2. “Being a manager was really tough for me. People approached me with all their personal problems.”
3. “Over the next few months, I found ways to help the company break-even.”

You’re probably thinking, ‘What’s wrong with these statements? They look good to me.’

And you’re right. There is nothing wrong with them.

BUT, by framing your statements like that you’re missing the opportunity to tell an engaging story. Why?

These statements are not visual. They do not allow the listeners to see and experience the story as if it was their own. They are not memorable.

So, what can you do instead? You can share the details of a few key moments of your story.

Here are three effective ways to produce memorable moments:

1. Bring in forward momentum

Make your character do any sort of action — stepping, walking, shouting, biking, you name it. Actions help your audience imagine the scene in front of their eyes and keep them interested in what’s going to happen next.

Examples:

1. “I STEP into my boss’s office and HAND him a letter…”
2. “Norah STANDS in line to get her ticket to Hamilton in London…”
3. “I HIT ‘send’, SHUT down my laptop, and TAKE a deep breath…”

2. Share outer dialogue

Outer dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. It does not have to be a full-blown conversation. It can be as short as one sentence. One exclamation that reveals a key piece of information. Don’t worry if you don’t recall exactly what the characters said. In that case, create the dialogue as you remember it.

Examples:

1. “2 weeks later my client called me and said, ‘Philipp, we did it. We just secured $3M of funding. Thank you much so. Without you, we would’ve never gotten it!’”
2. “My boss smiles at me and says, ‘Well done. This was by far the best presentation you’ve ever delivered’”
3. “My coworker walks up to me and says, ‘Nithya, you’re late. You were supposed to share your presentation three hours ago. This is not cool’.”

3. Share inner dialogue

Inner dialogue is when the characters speak to themselves and reveal what is going on in their heads. We all have thousands of thoughts every day. A lot of these are quite anxious and often slightly disturbing thoughts. You can bring your listeners into the moment by sharing the inner dialogue. This can include thoughts of what the character hopes, fears, and plans.

Examples:

1. “I hope my boss reads this. He’ll be so impressed.”
2. “Ah, I can’t believe I did this. Everyone will think I’m a failure…”.
3. “Oh, I have an idea. I’ll go into the shop and ask the first person for money…”

That’s it.

These are the three simple, but effective ways to bring your listeners into the moments of your story and make them listen to every word you say.

Which technique do you find most useful to tell a more engaging story? Let me know in the comments below!

Curious for more? Check out our blog article on the 7 Elements of Great Storytelling.

PS. Do you want to learn how to use stories win more customers? Check out our upcoming 8-week, virtual StorySelling program.