Great authors show us there are many ways to start a story. If you can’t answer this, then think of a different story. You could begin a novel with a narrator/character introducing himself, like Salinger’s Holden Caufield or Dickens’ David Copperfield. A tip on how to start Storytelling. ...and what not to do. ——– So what is your story? The same can be said for anecdotes, which are basically short stories. Nested loops works a bit like a friend telling you about a wise person in their life, someone who taught them an important lesson. Here are three sets of people to tell your stories to: 1. A story without stakes is an essay and is best experienced on the page, not the stage. Storytelling coach Paul Smith explains that you should always start your story with a great hook. Yes, bring the audience along with you as you contemplate what transpires in your story, but remember, you are driving the story, and must know the final destination. How to Start Telling Stories Start with your message. Instead try a pause, a change of tone, a shift in body language or speaking rate. A hook in this case is a single sentence or phrase that demonstrates to … Are you telling the right one? What do you stand to gain or lose? We tell stories to our coworkers and peers all the time — to persuade someone to support our project, to explain to an employee how he might improve, or to … The first story you begin is the last story you finish, the second story you start is second to last, etc. They are the heart of love and of meaning. Just as there are seamless ways of entering a story, so too there are slicker ways to exist. “Declare yourself” to your colleagues at work. Or you could begin in the thick of action, as Ray Bradbury’s does in his classic novel, Fahrenheit 451. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie The danger of a single story Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Our stories are everything. You do not have to announce, "By the way, that's the end of the story". I personally think that the beginning of story is the most difficult as you have to explain the plot and the backstory which, if not told in the right way, makes the audience uninterested in the very start. Practical Tip on how to Start a Story. They kill a story! Telling stories in conversations requires some skills and if you don’t have them, you fail to keep the audience interested. Once your message (s), it’s time to get familiar with the audience... Find a Story to Tell. New people learn what to do and how to assimilate though hearing the stories of others. Why is what happens in the story important to you? Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. Here are five simple ways to get better at telling your stories to increase your impact. And are you telling it to the right people? All of these signal the start of … Start in the action. In my Storytelling Trainings and Workshops I often ask the participants, “What are the two most common ways we start a story when we tell stories to children?”. A Stanford research study showed that statistics alone have a retention rate of 5-10%, but when coupled with anecdotes, the retention rate rises to 65-70%. The first loops are your friend's story, the second loops are the wise person's story. Nancy Duarte is a best-selling author with thirty years of CEO-ing under her belt. Telling a good story is a critical leadership skill -- but one that many of us shy away from. Steer clear of meandering endings. Every non-profit organization will have a couple of key talking points... Know Your Audience. The response I get is, Once upon a … Stakes are essential in live storytelling. Your last line should be clear in your head before you start.