Tell Your STORIES So They STICK

What a joy it is being back in the recording studio putting my What's Holding You Back? book on Audible. Joel Block - the wonderful sound engineer here in Austin (who has literally put thousands of books on Audible) - and I were talking about the power of real-life stories to keep listeners engaged from start to finish.

And when you're talking about the power of stories, you've got to tell a story to get across the power of stories, right?

I told him a story about working with Pete in SoCal, who was the sound engineer for my Audible recording of SOMEDAY is Not a Day after the Week.

That book shared dozens of stories from my travels around the world when I took my business on the road. I interviewed people along the way and asked, "Are you happy? If so, why? If not, why not?" Those stories make the content come alive in the listeners' mind's eye.

During a break, Pete told me, “I wish I could tell stories like you, but nothing interesting ever happens to me.”

I told him, “Everyone has interesting things?happen to – or around them – that can be turned into stories.”

He smiled, “Like what?”

I asked,?“What do you do when you aren’t working?”?

(BTW - this is the first question I ask to help clients identify original, one-of-a-kind stories because it reveals what lights them up. It fleshes them out as a whole human being. Instead of just focusing on their knowledge/expertise, this makes them more intriguing. Plus, their hobby, special interest, or unusual experience/achievement often works as a metaphor which helps their audience see a familiar topic with fresh eyes, and makes their content unique, interactive, and more universally relevant - all at the same time.)

Pete told me, “I love to surf!”

BINGO! This had potential because surfing has a?mystique?many people find interesting.

I asked, “Have you had any recent?encounters that ‘stuck’ with you?”

He thought a moment and then his?whole face brightened.

He told me that one weekend he went to a local spot that required a climb down to the ocean. He was getting his board ready when a?buddy pulled into the parking lot?and asked, “Have you checked it out yet?”

Pete laughed and said, “That’s the difference between the two of us.?You look for excuses NOT to surf. I look for excuses TO surf.”

BOOM. There it was. A?real-life story?with a powerful,?juxtaposed punchline?that could be?turned into a metaphorical question?people can relate to.

He could put people in that scene - with a bit more visual detail - so people felt thee were there with him and it was happening right now.

Then he could hook and hinge the story back to listeners by asking, "How about you? What is an activity that used to fill you with joy, but you haven't been doing it much lately? Be honest with yourself, are you looking for excuses NOT to do it - or TO do it? Which mindset would serve you better?"

Following every story with a hook and hinge - three YOU questions that put the conversational ball in your readers' or listeners' court - is the key to making YOUR story THEIR story.

It's the key to making your stories Socratic and interactive instead of a me, me, me monologue.

Now it’s your turn.?Use these steps if you'd like to keep people engaged - from start to finish.

1. What’s a communication you’ve got coming up??If you want it to be more interesting, keep your antenna up for interesting things that happen to or around you.
2. Remember, they don’t have to initially relate to your topic. If what happened?caused a pause - if it prompted you to reflect, or smile, or have an AHA – it can do the same for your audience.
3. Once you have a story in mind –?use the steps?in the INFOgraphic to turn it into a compelling real-life example that replaces INFObesity with INTRIGUE.
4. Be sure to PUT PEOPLE IN THE SCENCE and describe what happened with visual detail and by re-enacting the actual dialogue so people SEE what you're SAYING.
5. Be sure to HOOK and HINGE the key words and "more of the story" back to the audience with three YOU questions so they are thinking about how this applies to them.
6. In today's world of AI generated content that is neck-up and derivative and a summary of other people's IP, THIS IS YOUR IP (Intellectual Property).
7. But it not's just your Intellectual Property, it's your EMOTIONAL Property. It's a human story - that was experienced by humans - and told by a human. This is increasingly rare and welcome in today's digital world. And it can become your competitive edge and your commonality edge.