How do you tell a story that resonates with everyone?

Even if you're a little confused about the purpose in the beginning, still start writing the first draft. Try to write in one go. Just write whatever comes to your mind regarding the story you want to share. Take a quick break after you're done. Then read the first draft. A lot of things will be clear to you after this step. You'll get a clearer picture of the main purpose — the central message that you want to convey.

You can't tell a story that resonates with everyone. Majority, probably. A certain type of audience, yes. But everyone? That's a different story. (Ha!) I don't mean to be negative. I just want storytellers to know that it's ok if their work doesn't resonate with everyone. What I look for is to make a big impact and strong connection with the people that you DO want to reach.

The primary challenge most speakers face is that they aren't clear of the purpose. A simple way to solve this problem is by asking yourself " At the end of my story I want my audience to...",- and you need to have a clear answer to this question. This helps you have a clear purpose!

A story can’t address everyone! If you want your audience to resonate with the story then it needs to be tailor made for them. Creating audience personas based on observing and pilot testing can best guide how you should curate your story. Also revisiting older stories and considering the feedback on it gives good insights about your audience’s preferences.

This is the problem with these AI generated articles. I agree with the contributor above, who says you can’t have a story that resonates with everyone. The very nature of storytelling is that it comes from within the person telling the story. It’s a feeling, something more visceral, then going about and doing the research to try to appeal to everyone. By doing that, you will appeal to no one, even yourself. The best way to do that is by following the traditional story arc, where you need conflict. And there in lies the problem with most companies trying to tell their story. They don’t want to talk about the conflict or hardships. It took to become a successful business. But when you do, that vulnerability speaks volumes.

Knowing your audience is the basic home work one needs to do before even starting to tell a story. A few pointers you need to keep in mind- the median age of the audience , the regional and cultural sensitivity of the region etc- this helps you pick and choose an appropriate story It is always a good practice to talk to the organizers or people you know , if you're delivering a story for the first time. It helps you understand the do's and don't s and can be a face saver on the big day!

While some storytellers find their story through writing from page 1, or have a spark of inspiration that propels it, this can be a recipe for procrastination or a wandering narrative. If possible, from a procedural perspective, it can often be helpful to reverse engineer the story! Know the ending before you even utter the first word. Or at least know the feeling, realization or surprise you want to arrive at with your audience. Investing your creative energy in a strong ending to start will give sturdy guardrails to build upon and within. It’s a foundation to a contained experience that you can control and shape. Sometimes “the end” is the place to start and how to truly KNOW your story.

I once posted about my hair problem. It got massive appreciation and reach. Why? Because that was my unfiltered life. The story that resonates with everyone is "Portraying your real self". How you earned XXX dollars or how your client appreciated you might not resonate, but your deepest fear, regret and failure will always find a soft corner in everyone's heart. Why? Because we all go through it. Write what we all go through, write unfiltered, write raw, write with heart. And please don't write stories to get leads. Sales are just a by-product of good storytelling.

The opening line plays a big role in whether or not is the audience going to continue reading. But just to make the hook attention-grabbing, don't clickbait. Authenticity is the core. Always remember this!

A good story is a train of emotions, so while preparing a story try to mark the varying emotions the audience may encounter while listening to you. Be very clear about the final emotional state you wish to leave them with. A good story should have brought a significant change in emotional state of the listener!

Feedback is the key to perfecting a good narration. Every story has scope for improvement. The key is to take selective feedback from reliable sources about what they liked and what could be better at the end of each narration. It's like how stand-up comedians do. They deliver at numerous open mic's to test their jokes before delivering it before a large audience. The same goes with stories as well- practice till you perfect it. The key however is to take reliable feedback, otherwise it may just mess up your entire story. Beware!!

Absolutely get feedback and improve the story. Might also want to think of it as a skill that you keep strengthening the more stories you tell and publish and speak about. AND the more people of different backgrounds you tell those stories to. Having conversations, connecting with, and (truly) listening to a diverse set of humans teaches you how you can adapt your stories to each one and figure out what details or styles resonate with who.

I firmly believe that there is always a scope to learn & improve. Hence, I always make efforts to: - not stop learning - not stop practicing And my audience's, and friends' feedback plays a big role in this.

It's the best feeling when people find your stories relatable. But please, don't chase perfection for this. Give your best. And let the audience decide. You'll always get another chance to do better if at all your story doesn't perform as expected. Just have one request: Don't self-reject.

There are very few stories that resonate or even apply to everyone. For that reason, tell the stories that reach whoever you're looking to reach. Not only does that take pressure off your shoulders, but clarifies things like: - The language they use - What big issues the story highlights - Solutions offered and lessons learned So there's really no need to go so wide that ALL people hear your story, just those that count