Storyworthy Summary (C2): What’s a Story?

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The type of storytelling you learn in this book may not be what you are thinking of.

It is not a fable, a Disney tale, or some other fictional account.

The stories you will be learning to tell from this book are personal narratives.

They are true stories taken from actual events that have happened to you.

A personal story has something that no fictional tale can ever possess - vulnerability.

A fictional story can be entertaining, insightful, and even educational, but it can never connect people in the way a good personal story can.

By expressing your most authentic self through a well-told personal story, you will connect with your audience in a few minutes in a way that most strangers never will.

Of course, you need to tell the right story. A personal story. This requires a few things.

A good story isn’t just a series of events strung together. There must be a change in you over the course of the story.

It might be the smallest change ever, but there needs to be one. You start out as one thing, and end as something else.

If it doesn’t, it isn’t a story. It might be an entertaining anecdote, but it will not connect you to your audience like a true story will.

Think of every movie you have ever seen and you will notice that the main character goes through some sort of change.

The story must be your own. From your life.

This doesn’t mean you can’t tell someone else's story, but you must make it about yourself. Tell it from your perspective. Tell your side of it.

You must be the protagonist of any story you tell, and if you can't figure out how to make your side of the story compelling, then don’t tell it.

Whether you are crafting a story for the boardroom, the stage, or a sales pitch, it must pass the dinner test.

Ask yourself, “Is this story similar to something I would tell a friend at dinner?”

If the answer is no, it’s not a good story.

This is not about the subject of the story. You probably wouldn't pitch a new product to your friend. It’s about how you tell the story. The performance of it.

Don’t add hand flourishes that you wouldn’t normally do, or speak as if you’re reading the story off a script, or use fancy prose. Almost no one speaks like that when telling a story to their mate.

If you actually do speak like that, then fine. If it is authentic it will pass. But people will subconsciously know if you're hamming it up. So don’t. Be yourself and tell the story as if talking to a close friend at dinner.

This doesn’t mean you are just speaking off the cuff. A good story is crafted to have maximum impact - but it isn’t a theatrical performance.

A drinking story can be fun. It won’t connect, but it’s an entertaining anecdote if told right. However, here are five things to consider about any (and all) of your drinking stories:

1. No one cares about your drinking story more than you

2. Drinking stories don’t impress those worth impressing

3. No one has more than three excellent drinking stories. If you do, you need to recalibrate your idea of excellence.

4. Almost all drinking stories are less entertaining when told during the day and/or at the workplace.

5. Drinking stories about you between the ages of 40 and 70 are pathetic.

Regardless of what people may say, no one wants to hear about your vacation. Trust me, if they ask, they are just making conversation and will soon forget everything you tell them about it.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have storyworthy moments from your travels. Tell these stories if they are truly good stories. Just don’t include anything about the local cuisine or general beauty and charm of the destination. Tell the story, not your itinerary.

Read the next chapter here.

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