Long Story Short

A lot of first-time storytellers provide too much unnecessary information up top.

So be like Steve Jobs—tell us what you want!

Storytelling is recounting a true experience from your life that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your story is, as long as you were affected by it.

Storytelling is not a rant.

Storytelling is not therapy,

It all depends on your perspective and the structure of your tale.

Storytelling is not stand-up comedy.

You might get laughs in your story, sure, but you shouldn’t force these laughs by sneaking in set-up/punch-line style jokes. If you do that, you’ll risk sounding insincere.

Most events in life can be
categorized in one of two ways:
a good time, or a good story.

We all have a story about the craziest thing that ever happened to us, but the best stories often come from everyday life. Remember

But in order to be a great storyteller, you must start saying yes to scary things again.

Don’t get stuck in the rut of a monotonous life that nothing interesting ever happens in. In order to create more stories, you have to be open to new experiences.

Don’t wait for things to happen to you. Make them happen.

As we grow older, we get comfortable in our lives, being home on the couch, watching the same television shows, taking the same route to work every day, staying at the same job for years.

I challenge students in every class I teach to stray from their routine, stand up to something that messes with them, do something out of their comfort zone, and so on.

So be brave! Do things that scare you.

Look around you! Look out the window. Go for a walk. Go to a movie. Go to a museum. Go see a show. Read a book. Go to the library. Take the Circle Line. Have a conversation.

Instead of telling the story of what an asshole your college boyfriend was, tell the story of what a fool you were for staying with him.

In storytelling, it’s all about you.