How to tell a story {intro to storytelling} — Catharine Gibson

When you’re telling a story in first person, You want to take the listener on the same emotional journey that you experienced.

What you felt as each new moment unfolds — DO NOT start sharing what lessons you’ve learnt before you get to the end. It’s like spoiling a good movie for someone by giving them the surprise emending as they walk into the movie theatre.

Slow down to wind them through the ups downs and delights of your tale.

Every story needs a near constant element of mystery to keep the listener engaged.

If there’s an element of mystery, your listener will be engaged. Once you reveal one answer, you should be setting up the next question for your audience.

To be interesting, be interested.

Your enthusiasm is captivating. Be alive while you tell a story, let yourself naturally emote .

Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.

Intrigue is born in the unspoken. Your listener doesn’t need each and every detail laid out for them.

People like to figure things out for themselves, that’s how they can grow and interact with your ideas.

Assume your listener is intelligent and dynamic and mature.

The best stories have lessons at the end.

An overarching point that’s shared in the last half of your story. Which means, you should have an idea of what lesson you want to share before you start talking. Know your purpose, what can people take away from this?

Don’t leave people hanging! At the end of your story, tell people why they just went on that journey with you (and if there’s an action you might want them to take).

When people are selling, they can be in a big rush to get to what their product does but this is wrong.

If there isn’t a problem, we don’t need a solution.

So start with a problem that your product solves and how people can relate to it.

Originally published at https://catharinegibson.com on April 1, 2020.