How to be a great storyteller
So there I was. In the middle of the presentation. I was confident, relaxed, and completely focused. Everything was going great... Until I got nervous…
Looking back, I realised exactly how I messed it up. I went into boring details, went off on a tangent, gave far more information than is actually necessary, and then, I saw it, the tell-tale signs of a horrible story…
My audience got distracted. One of them grabbed their phone. Another glanced at their watch. And then I heard it… somebody YAWNED…
Let me tell you the secret to telling an incredible story.
Welcome to Further Records, I’m Forest. This is only one part of the materials we have to offer, check us out on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram!
A good story feels spontaneous—but spoiler: it’s secretly engineered. The best thing you can do before you tell a story is PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.
But before we get into it, you should know something important: This episode is about how to tell a story, not about how to do research. For this exercise, you should already know what the content of your story is.
At Further, we offer Workshops where students can hone their storytelling skills. This is some of what we teach during these classes.
With all that said, let’s get into what separates a normal story from a great story.
Before you can begin any kind of public speaking, you should know two things: What Are You Talking About, and Who Are You Talking To?
What Are You Talking About refers to the symbolic message of your story. We call this a thesis statement. This is the message that people need to understand after they’ve finished your story. For example, for Percy Jackson, the message is that young kids can be clever no matter what their conditions are. The message of Toy Story is that growing up can be difficult but is necessary.
When Steve Jobs did a presentation of the first iPhone, the content was “We have created a new type of phone.”, but the message is “Our new type of phone will change the world, and you need to buy one”.
Think about your last story—did you have a message, or were you just… talking?
Telling a story without knowing your message is like packing for a trip without knowing where you're going. You might look prepared, but you're probably bringing ski boots to the beach.
That is the difference between content and message.
But even with the perfect message in your bag, it won’t land if you don’t know who you’re talking to.
So...Who Are You Talking To? This refers to who your audience is. You need to learn about them so you can understand what information is relevant. For example, astronauts might not understand much about pop music, so you might have to explain some more basic things.
If you’re talking to an engineer about a new car design, it’s likely you won’t have to teach them information for beginners, and you’ll be able to get technical and detailed.
You’ll also have to understand the mood and tone of your audience. It’s not the same when you tell a story to your friends and when you tell a story to your teacher. It’s important to understand the level of seriousness that is necessary during a story.
So now you know your content, your message, and your audience. The next step is how you organize your story. This is where we will use something called the Three Act Structure.
This is a type of storytelling structure in which you divide a story into three big sections.
Act I is the Introduction:
The Introduction is like the first part of a movie. This is the part where you need to explain two things very quickly.
The first is: Why is this story important? You know why you’re telling the story, but you need to start strong so that your audience will understand this quickly as well. Begin your story with a powerful spoiler of things to come. Imagine it as a TikTok, you know the ones that begin like “storytime about how my dog went to the moon” or something like that? Except instead of using a generic phrase everybody else already uses, begin with a unique hook so that your audience will understand quickly why they need to listen to you. Like “We have created a new type of phone that will change phones forever”.
Then, present the story itself, like “we researched the difficulties that other phones create, and this is what we did to solve them”.
Next is Act II: The Conflict
Here is where you need to become the hero of the story. In books, this is where the adventures and the problems happen. You fought monsters (or maybe you researched a topic) and then you won the battle (or maybe you wrote a research paper). This part is where most of the adventure happens, and what decisions you made in order to be victorious. Always remember the message of your story, because Act II is where the conflict will support your thesis.
If your story still feels like a bunch of random events, don’t worry—this next part changes everything.
You have to tie it all together with Act III: The Resolution
Finally, you’ve gone through all of the adventures. You need to begin the final act with the climax of your story, that means the most important, biggest conflict. After that, you need to solve the rest of the story. This is when the adventurer goes home (or where you present all your findings after doing scientific research). The initial message and the issues need to fuse together, and explain it in a short way where it all makes sense. This is where everything needs to finish in a satisfying way. Repeat your initial message, and finish with a strong phrase to end with a bang.
And now, after you’ve told an incredible story, with a fantastic emotional payoff at the end, rejoice by looking at your audience in the eye and the pure enjoyment of your story. Relax by knowing that after all of this, you are a great storyteller.
If someone has ever yawned in a meeting with you, you don’t have to worry anymore. Now, you’ve got the tools to tell a story they’ll never forget. If you’re good enough, maybe you’ll get a standing ovation.
Who knows—maybe the next great TED Talk starts with you.
You’ve been listening to Further Records. If you have any ideas for topics you’d like to learn, be sure to send us a message!
Here’s some vocabulary we learned during this episode!
mess up: to make a mistake, to do something incorrectly.
to go off the tangent: to start saying or thinking something that is not directly connected with what you were saying or thinking before.
glance: to look quickly at something
go into detail: a phrase that means to talk about the complex parts of something
hone your skills: to practice and become better at something
generic: something that is common, and not very unique at all
hook (noun): a powerful way to capture your audience's attention and interest in your presentation. It can be a story, a question, a statistic, a quote, or anything else that sparks curiosity and relevance.
If you want extra materials, be sure to check out our YouTube page! We explain new vocabulary with fun and beautiful animations. For challenges and fun facts, you can check out our TikTok and Instagram pages. Just look us up as Further Corporate on any platform. Thanks for listening!
MUSIC AND SFX:
"Notanico Merengue" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
"Take a Chance" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
"Dispersion Relation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
"Tidie Fridie" by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com
"Savour the Moment" by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com
