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Storytelling techniques for when you run out of stories to tell
Create endless stories effortlessly
Liam Sandford
April 03, 2024
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Storytelling techniques for when you run out of stories to tell
How many great stories do you have to tell? My bet is thousands, but you are probably thinking ‘I have no stories to tell’. It is a common feeling, especially when social media is full of people trying to show their ‘best life’. Storytelling has a perception of needing to be like the movies, where the extraordinary is best. When it comes to storytelling outside of the movies that isn’t the case. If you are communicating with people you need it to resonate, and that happens when they can relate to your story.
People relate to stories they see themselves in. Making your stories from everyday moments gives you a bank of stories from your life that other people have also experienced.
The ‘everyday moments’ storytelling technique
The majority of people have the same routine. They wake up, have breakfast, shower, travel to work, do their job, travel home, have dinner, watch TV etc. What happens in these moment are easy to relate to - it is something everyone has experienced. Telling stories from everyday moments is like telling the audience their story.
Let’s take the hit TV show How I Met Your Mother. The main character, Ted Mosby, tells his kids the stories that led to him meeting their mother. Each episode covers everyday moments in Ted’s life, such as going to the bar with friends, having parents come to visit for the weekend and working for a boss who has terrible ideas. Ted tells his kids 9 seasons worth of stories based on everyday moments. What makes the show great is not that the stories are extravagant and funny, but that they are easily relatable. Most people know what it is like to go to the bar with friends, or have their parents visit - they are telling the audience their story and you can do it too.
The ‘first and last’ storytelling technique
How memorable was your first day of a new job? Or the first time you drove a car? The chances are you can recall these events easier than you can the 10th time or 100th time you did each of them.
The first time you do something is often memorable, and it will likely be memorable for people you are telling your story to. It makes for a good story to tell if you can relate it to a topic you are talking about. It makes it easy for you to tell the audience their story.
The same goes fr the last time, mainly because it is more recent and memorable, but it also showcases the change from the beginning. Maybe you are sharing the journey from where you started to now, and the first and last times are defining moments in that story.
The ‘how it makes you feel’ storytelling technique
The key to telling stories that resonate is to be vulnerable by showing who you are. If you share this with your audience you will be more relatable. This can be a daunting concept, but there is a simple solution to incorporating how you felt into your story. It may even trigger some ideas:
Use the senses.
When it comes to the senses, description is your friend. The story is you went to a friends house and they were baking cookies. Sounds boring at first, but its all about how you describe it. As you approached the front door you could smell cinnamon and freshly baked cookie dough wafting through the kitchen window. Your mouth watered in anticipation of the warmth and crumbly nature of your favorite treat.
Just by using the senses you transformed the story to bring the audience on a journey with you, and you are showing them that journey clearly through the senses. When in doubt think about how it makes you feel, and if that is tough to describe, think about the senses.
Actionable takeaways
Tell stories from everyday moments - give the audience something they can resonate with and you will increase your chances of a successful presentation.
Use the first and last technique to tell your stories. If the first and last are memorable for you, they will be memorable for your audience.
Use the senses to describe how it made you feel. This is the easiest tool to jump to in the storytelling box - it’s a good place to start.
That's all for today!
As always feel free to reply to this email or reach out @liamsandford as I would love to hear your feedback.
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Liam Sandford