Storytelling is not about talent but work

Storytelling is a translation craft. A connection that erases the walls that divide us when we communicate.

However, it’s not magic. It's tough work. Trial and error. Sweat and tears.

Preparation is key to connecting with our audience. You need time, you know??

I’m reading a book by Jimmy Carr, a British comedian (you can watch his shows on Netflix), and he emphasizes that behind an effective punch line, there are dozens that were not. At the beginning of his career, he used to take the dictionary and play with the sounds of words and their meanings. Hours in front of a dictionary to build jokes. To make us laugh. It was a difficult craft for him, but it was his passion. And passion makes work effortless and smooth.?

Yes, of course. Jimmy Carr has a gift. A bunch of people have it. But it was absolutely crucial to feed their talent.??

I love stand-up, because jokes are tiny packaging storytelling forms. Each joke is a mini story with an unexpected end. This is what our brain loves: change and surprise!

I remember I went to the last show that Julio Bocca, the most famous argentinian dancer ever, gave in Argentina. I was watching him and thought seriously: “Damn you! You can fly!”. He was a bird.?

Sometimes, I tell a personal story in my workshops. When I finish it, some participants smile and say: “Damn you! It’s so natural for you!”.?

Maybe it appears to be easy now. But let me tell you, there was a lot of work before getting to that point of accomplishment. Tons of preparatory readings, the study of narrative structures, paces, rhythms, metaphors, etcetera. All that without mentioning all the rehearsals.?

Telling stories is amazing but if you don’t read, if you don’t study your audience and curate your messages, it is an impossible task.

Repetition is vital to improving our messages. Each time that you tell your story you add knowledge about what works and what doesn’t.?

Sometimes, we admire the success of others without knowing all the effort that lays behind it.

It is not talent or hard work on their own. It is both.