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4 ways to tell a great story

IntermediateAmerican accentAnimated lesson5 min

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Transcript: 53 sentences

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  1. 0:07 Your first job as a speaker is to build a trusting human bond with your audience.
  2. 0:13 One excellent way to connect to an audience is to tell a story.
  3. 0:16 Stories helped make us who we are.
  4. 0:20 Really - evidence left behind from our ancient ancestors suggests that the human mind developed alongside human storytelling.
  5. 0:30 Fire created a new magnet for bonding.
  6. 0:33 Its warmth and flickering light drew people together after dark.
  7. 0:38 This seems to have happened in every ancient culture over the last 300,000 years.
  8. 0:44 And what did our ancestors do with this time together?
  9. 0:47 In many cultures, one type of communal activity became very important: storytelling.
  10. 0:54 Stories brought people from faraway places to the fireside.
  11. 0:59 Stories about people who were alive and people who were dead, nearby and in distant lands.
  12. 1:05 Stories sparked laughter, tension, and amazement.
  13. 1:09 Stories also played an important role in helping expand people’s ability to imagine and to dream, and to understand the minds of others.
  14. 1:21 Storytellers became important people within a community, and their listeners took information from the stories that changed how they behaved in the world.
  15. 1:30 It's not just that we all love hearing stories.
  16. 1:33 Stories probably helped shape how our minds share and receive information.
  17. 1:39 So it's no surprise that many of the best talks are built around a story.
  18. 1:46 The most basic way of breaking down a story is this: a character with a goal meets an unexpected obstacle.
  19. 1:54 She tries to overcome that obstacle, which builds to a peak in the action.
  20. 1:59 Finally, there’s some kind of resolution to the conflict.
  21. 2:02 When it comes to sharing a story from the stage, remember four key things: 1.
  22. 2:09 Base the story around a character your audience can empathize with.
  23. 2:14 2.
  24. 2:15 Build tension, either through curiosity, relationship with other characters, or actual danger.
  25. 2:23 3.
  26. 2:23 Offer the right level of detail.
  27. 2:27 If there's not enough, the story won't come to life.
  28. 2:30 If there's too much, it will get bogged down.
  29. 2:33 And, 4.
  30. 2:34 End with a satisfying conclusion, whether it’s funny, moving, or surprising.
  31. 2:41 Some great talks are built around a single story.
  32. 2:45 This can be really helpful for a speaker.
  33. 2:48 The throughline is simply the plot of the story.
  34. 2:51 If the story is about you, it can even create empathy in the audience.
  35. 2:56 If your journey is exciting and easy to follow, this type of talk can work really well.
  36. 3:01 But there's a trap here too.
  37. 3:04 Remember, the goal is to give.
  38. 3:07 Personal stories may entertain or interest an audience, or make the speaker feel really good about themselves, but they don’t necessarily give the audience
  39. 3:17 something they can walk away with; a new way of understanding things, actionable information, context, hope.
  40. 3:24 And that’s a real shame.
  41. 3:27 The key is to link together the important moments of your story in a way that can be meaningful to someone else.
  42. 3:35 Otherwise, it may sound like you're just rambling or speaking for the sake of hearing yourself talk.
  43. 3:41 But, if the journey reveals something powerful you have learned, and if each step in your journey is revealed with humility and honesty and vulnerability,
  44. 3:52 it is a journey we will gladly take with you.
  45. 3:56 There is one other piece that is absolutely essential if you’re going to tell your own story: it has to be true.
  46. 4:05 This may seem obvious, but sometimes speakers are tempted to exaggerate or even make a story up entirely.
  47. 4:13 Stories can have such a big impact that some speakers are tempted to bend the truth.
  48. 4:18 But even small exaggerations can quickly destroy your reputation.
  49. 4:24 It's not worth the risk.
  50. 4:26 When you combine a truthful story with a desire to benefit others, you can give your listeners an extraordinary gift.
  51. 4:34 A story can affect people deeply.
  52. 4:36 Use it, and you can greatly increase your connection with an audience.
  53. 4:41 But please, let it mean something.

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