Every day, Thiagi tweets ready-to-use pieces of practical advice on different topics such as coaching, communication, creativity, feedback, leadership, listening skills, and management.
Here are some recent pieces of advice about storytelling that were retweeted frequently:
- “Do I need to tell a story?” If yes, ask, “Is this best story?” If yes, ask, “How can I remove irrelevant details from the story?”
- Don’t waste time at the beginning of a story. Start with a bang and sustain the audience’s attention.
- Watch TED talks to learn how master presenters integrate stories with the other parts of their presentation.
- Be sensitive to the cultural norms of your audience. Don’t accidentally insult or offend the listeners.
- Begin the story with a piece of climactic action that grabs the listener’s attention.
- Use sensory language to invite the listeners see the scene, hear the sounds, feel the textures, taste the spices, and smell the odors.
- Reduce the story to 99 words and then to six words. Practice telling these versions. Then return to the natural length.