14 secrets that will make you a great storyteller
Strategically withhold information. Use the art of purposeful silence. Imagine yourself smiling from ear to ear. And lots more...
Great piece from Julian Shapiro: How to tell great stories. Shapiro embarked on a journey: learn to engage an audience like Neil deGrasse Tyson within 30 days. The whole thing is worth a read but here are some main takeaways:
Strategically withhold information. “Before you begin your story, you're supposed to decide which details to withhold until the end—to maximize suspense along the way.”
Write it down first. “Neil deGrasse Tyson told author David Perell that nearly 100% of the stories and analogies he shares in interviews are first written down.”
Don’t memorize. “You never want to memorize your words. You only memorize key points then you rediscover the rich details and spontaneous turns of phrases in real time. This produces pauses, moments of self-reflection, and false starts.”
Don’t recite a speech. “Feel no shame in artificially preparing your stories, but be a good enough actor to make it seem like you didn't prepare at all.”
Drag out the telling. “In other words, storytelling is not only the art of strategically withholding information, it’s also the art of time dilation.”
Use vocal rhythm and the art of purposeful silence. “Silence is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to play up a moment. During a moment of silence, listeners can only do two things: reflect more on what just happened or greater fear what comes next.”
Spoken storytelling is a form of music. “You talk. Then faster. You go silent. You strike with fast staccato sentences. Without vocal rhythm and pauses, you're just a human wall of text.”
Charisma is the state of projecting three qualities at once: confidence + joy + love for your audience. “The more a storyteller loses themselves in their own telling, the more the audience does too.”
Imagine yourself smiling from ear to ear while talking. “The most likeable storytellers appeared to be smiling—in their minds—when speaking. But you didn't see it on their faces—that can feel inauthentic. Instead, you felt the joy in their words.”
Up ahead, the one trait Shapiro says is “far more important” than any other delivery trick and how to find the good stories you have to tell.
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