4 ways to tell a great story

6 words to learn — tap cards to flip and save favorites.

Your first job as a speaker is to build a trusting human bond with your audience. One excellent way to connect to an audience is to tell a story. Stories helped make us who we are. Really — evidence left

behind from our ancient ancestors suggests that the human mind developed alongside human storytelling. Fire created a new magnet for bonding. Its warmth and flickering light drew people together after dark. This seems to have happened in every ancient culture

over the last 300,000 years. And what did our ancestors do with this time together? In many cultures, one type of communal activity became very important: storytelling. Stories brought people from faraway places to the fireside. Stories about people who

were alive and people who were dead, nearby and in distant lands. Stories sparked laughter, tension, and amazement. Stories also played an important role in helping expand people’s ability to imagine and to dream, and to understand the minds of

others. Storytellers became important people within a community, and their listeners took information from the stories that changed how they behaved in the world. It's not just that we all love hearing stories. Stories probably helped shape how our minds

share and receive information. So it's no surprise that many of the best talks are built around a story. The most basic way of breaking down a story is this: a character with a goal meets an unexpected obstacle. She

tries to overcome that obstacle, which builds to a peak in the action. Finally, there’s some kind of resolution to the conflict. When it comes to sharing a story from the stage, remember four key things: 1. Base the story

around a character your audience can empathize with. 2. Build tension, either through curiosity, relationship with other characters, or actual danger. 3. Offer the right level of detail. If there's not enough, the story won't come to life. If there's

too much, it will get bogged down. And, 4. End with a satisfying conclusion, whether it’s funny, moving, or surprising. Some great talks are built around a single story. This can be really helpful for a speaker. The throughline is

simply the plot of the story. If the story is about you, it can even create empathy in the audience. If your journey is exciting and easy to follow, this type of talk can work really well. But there's a

trap here too. Remember, the goal is to give. 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 something they can walk away with; a

new way of understanding things, actionable information, context, hope. And that’s a real shame. The key is to link together the important moments of your story in a way that can be meaningful to someone else. Otherwise, it may sound

like you're just rambling or speaking for the sake of hearing yourself talk. 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, it is

a journey we will gladly take with you. There is one other piece that is absolutely essential if you’re going to tell your own story: it has to be true. This may seem obvious, but sometimes speakers are tempted to

exaggerate or even make a story up entirely. Stories can have such a big impact that some speakers are tempted to bend the truth. But even small exaggerations can quickly destroy your reputation. It's not worth the risk. When you

combine a truthful story with a desire to benefit others, you can give your listeners an extraordinary gift. A story can affect people deeply. Use it, and you can greatly increase your connection with an audience. But please, let it

mean something.