How to tell your story, it works like magic but almost nobody knows about it
@eliotkellyofficial
In today’s article I will teach you the storytelling secrets of the world’s highest paid storytellers. Storytelling has allowed people to make sense of the world and derive deeper meaning from their lives since the beginning of human history. Storytelling has certainly done this for me and the thousands of students I teach and train. The techniques and delivery methods of effective storytelling may have changed since then, but as you will learn here, the power of storytelling to move us and provoke a deeper sense of connection between us, has stayed consistent.
A Philosophy Professor and his Student stand in a warehouse, A large tin bucket and several boxes of stones and sand are in front of them. The Professor picks up a box that contains large rocks, each one about four inches in diameter, and pours them into the bucket. The stones reach the top of the bucket, and he asks the Student if it is full. “It is,” the Student replies.
The Professor takes another box, this one containing stones about one inch in diameter, and pours them over the rocks in the bucket. The smaller stones fill in the spaces between the rocks. Again, he asks the Student if the bucket is full. The Student looks and says, “It is.”
The Professor then pours in the contents of a third box, this one containing small pebbles. Again, the student looks in the bucket and agrees that it is full. Finally, the Professor pours a box of sand on top of the rocks, stones, and pebbles — and once more, for the fourth time, the Student acknowledges that the bucket is full.
“Do the most important things first,” the Professor advises the Student, “And each lesser thing in order of its priority. In this way, you will be able to fill up your life four times, instead of just once. If you do unimportant things first, you’ll be filling your bucket with sand…. And there won’t be room for anything else.”
To tell your story, you must do three things effectively and just like in the story of the Professor and the Student, it is important to do the most important things first:
Create a compelling hook
A ‘hook’ is your opener. In this article the hook is, “It works like magic but almost nobody knows about it.” It is the attention-getter, the statement or question that immediately hooks the listener or reader.
The more compelling or mysterious the hooks are, the better. Invite your reader or audience to become immersed in the story. You can use three ideas or variations of these ideas to enhance your hook creativity:
1. Start with a question. Asking your audience to think about the topic is a great way to get them ready to hear more.
2. Use descriptive language. Humans think in pictures. Creating a picture in the audience’s mind can make them feel connected to your story.
3. Be mysterious.
It is important to get the audience’s attention by starting a story with an attention grabber to secure initial interest. Get your audience interested in your story by making the first part of your introduction intriguing.
Tell the story
State what happened in chronological order. In the story of the Professor and the Student for example, there was a straight-forward and clear order to the sequence of events that took place. Do you remember how many different items were placed in the bucket to make it full and what they were?
A great story has a natural momentum to it. Many new authors for example, neglect to create an understandable sequence of events that can easily be followed by the audience. Experts refer to this concept as ‘Riding the train,’ or the ‘anecdote.’ It can be compared to a train on which the author invites others to join. Those riding along can feel that they are headed towards a destination.
It is also important that when novice storytellers raise any implicit or explicit questions, that they answer them. As storytellers gain experience with the art of storytelling, they are better positioned to effectively use unanswered questions as an aid to the over-arching storyline. Examples of these may include techniques used in suspense and thriller stories.
Effective storytelling can be encouraged by asking: ‘Who is my audience?’ and ‘What is the message I want to share with them?’ Each decision about your story should flow from those questions. Many expert storytellers look to their own memories and life experiences for ways to illustrate their message. For example, in The Eye of The Needle: The Cost Of Success, I share the story about my quarter-life crisis.
I was working in the hospitality industry in a five-star hotel in The Bahamas, earning ‘good money.’ While that seemed okay from the outside, on the inside I was falling apart. My Mom had been recently diagnosed with Brain Cancer, I was obese, depressed, and anxious. It was clear that a traditional job did not suit my personality. But one day, one of my millionaire Guest, suggested that I read a book he had read and that, according to him, dramatically changed him and his families’ lives. He said he had never met anyone like me and that I had the potential to be just as successful as he was or even more.
I read that book and through future stays at the hotel I served at, my millionaire Guest became my millionaire Mentor. During visits, my millionaire Mentor introduced me to other printed and audio material by other Thought Leaders, people like Ghandi, Malcolm Gladwell, Og Mandino, and Napoleon Hill. Eventually I also discovered this whole new generation of Thought Leaders online and offline. I remember thinking while applying what I was learning that I wanted everyone in the world to know about these people, because when it comes to real transformation, whether it is finding your purpose, starting that dream business, or healing your health or relationships, people are not just looking for more information.
People are looking for inspiration. People need role models, people who embody a powerful message that can help them change their life. I wanted to be that person that helped amazing aspirants and entrepreneurs get their ideas out there in a much bigger way. I was able to manage my weight through an amazing natural transformative process of discipline and determination from 245lbs to 185lbs. A loss of 60lbs of physical fat but more importantly a gain of self-love, courage, and purpose.
The first book my millionaire Mentor game me was written by Paulo Coelho — The Alchemist. I truly believe that each of us has, what Coelho calls in the book, a ‘personal legend.’ We should listen to our hearts, learn to read the signs along life’s path and above all, we should follow our dreams.
My Mom died of Cancer eight years ago, may her soul rest in eternal peace, but her death represented a transition for me, a sort of birth — a fresh start. A chance to make my life and those I now serve more valuable. There is nothing more fulfilling to me than making a difference to millions of people’s lives by empowering others to get out there and just do it.
Storytelling is an art form that requires effort to get right. Be honest, vulnerable, and genuinely helpful and you cannot go wrong. Here are a few Do’s and Don’ts to help you along your journey. Share them with friends and family if you find them valuable:
Do
- Consider your audience
- Identify the moral or message you want to share
- Find inspiration in your life experiences
Don’t
- Assume you are not good enough to share your life experiences. We can all learn from each other.
- Make it all about you.
- Run on. Try to avoid overwhelming your story with unnecessary details.
- Use language that does not fit your audience.
Reflect
In the story of the Professor and the Student, the moral of the story was that we should do the most important things first. To effectively tell your story you should first create a hook, then tell your story and finally, you should reflect.
In my personal story, I also realised that I had to prioritise for me to grow, contribute to others and follow my dreams. Many people tell their stories just to tell them, however, this is simply not impactful if the audience have not been encouraged, inspired, or given cause to think differently. At the end of your story, use the following questions to take a moment to reflect on what you shared:
- Why is this relevant?
- What is the moral of the story?
- Who is this message for?
Reflection can fall on a scale that runs from cheesy to subtle. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions for reflecting. Ideally the storyteller should be confident that his/her point has been driven home. Best-selling reflection typically revisits the hook. This works like magic but almost nobody knows about it. The impact created by expert writing allows the storyteller to pack in four times the amount of value in one ‘bucket’ or story.
Eliot Kelly is recognised as a serial Entrepreneur, and has been featured on CNN, BBC, BBC Three’s Be Your Own Boss and an extensive list of magazines and articles.
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