4 Ways to Tell a Story
4 Ways to Tell a Story
Number one, be there. People often ask me, how do I tell a story with freshness, especially this closing story I often tell with daughter riding a sheep, and it commonly gets a standing ovation, but I just tell them, I just go there.
I go to what it was like in that arena in that rodeo, when my daughter was riding this sheep around the rodeo, and Grandpa and Grandma were watching and the audience stood, giving an ovation, and how she had to trust herself to hold on, and I just go back to that spot.
Don’t do a whole lot of blocking, or some of these specific speaking skills. I just try to go back to the situation, put myself there, and people feel it.
Number two, be yourself. Sometimes, we worry about doing things that people teach in storytelling, and for me, certainly, it is totally authentic to use my hands and to move around, and to raise and lower my voice, and for others, it’s different, but more than anything else, other, throw the skills out, and be yourself. Be authentic. People can tell when you’re telling the story and it’s really you.
Number three, get your story transcribed by a speaking service, and then, go cut out half the words. If you had to tell the story with half the words, how would you do it? Cut out the words that aren’t really valuable to making the point. One other idea under this point is just start the story.
So many people spend so much time setting up and people get it, just get into the story. Don’t say thank you for being here, don’t say all these, just, in 1949, when the planes were flying in, just start the story.
Finally, number four don’t be the hero of your own story. In fact, it’s best to share your own mistakes, and share others’ successes.
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