How to Tell a Story
Today I was talking to a client who was doing well. I asked him about his next step regarding his conversation skills, and he said that his interest is now focused on speaking in front of groups. In fact, he has now become a leadership figure, and this is a good thing. But he said that things become more difficult when it comes to telling stories, as he feels lost without a clear direction for the story in his mind, and this is a very common problem, and the most prominent reason for this feeling is just lack of familiarity with the dialogue structures of the story; So I provided him with some guidelines and thought it might be helpful to republish them here: 80 percent of conversational stories are made up of stories that use a “before and after” structure, and are probably the easiest to understand and most enjoyable story structure in my opinion. It is divided into three sections: 1. Initial feeling 2. Event or dialogue. 3. Feeling changed. Based on the fact that he worked in a mental institution, I gave him this illustrative story as an example that he might be able to apply to himself: 1. “I was on my way to work and I felt frustrated. “Lately I've been wondering if my life has any purpose or meaning.” 2. But then this person came along, one of the patients, and he waved his hand, offering me a flower that he had stolen from the doctors' garden, saying, "I hope this doesn't sound strange, but I just wanted to tell you how much talking to you has really helped me, and that's all I have to offer as a token of thanks in the hope that it will help you." Enough to fulfill your rights.” 3. “I was astonished, as I never expected this! I shook his hand warmly with both hands, everything seemed to happen at the perfect time. “I kept smiling all day, and I felt so full of excitement.” In the end, the feeling in the conclusion is often completely opposite to the feelings with which the story begins, like a coin flipped on its other side. The point, of course, is not to make up fake stories. This is only an illustrative story, but it makes us understand the structure of the story and begin to look at the events that happen to us from the angle of “How can I narrate what is happening to me in the form of a story?” » A story that adopts a structure (before and after the story) is ideal for short dialogue stories. Another piece of advice: Pay attention to your feelings about the things that you encounter every day. These feelings that the main character - who is you - experience and how they change over time are what create the basic element of your audience’s sympathy and familiarity with you, and this is what makes your story interesting. Best wishes. Enjoy. Enjoy. !
From the book 44 Amazing by: Wayne Elise
