Basics Of A Powerful Story
Telling a gripping story is easier said than done. However, there are structures, frameworks, and best practices you can follow to ensure your stories carry maximum impact.
1) Have three acts to your story:
- A beginning – an introduction to an idea or situation that will captivate your audience from the start.
- A middle – raise the stakes to the initial idea or situation that was introduced.
- An end – provide a resolution, whether good or bad, to the idea or situation.
2) Draw from your personal experience
Unfortunately, reciting Goldie Locks And The Three Bears on stage won’t cut it.
The most engaging stories are ones that mine from personal experience. Think about the most important experiences in your life and play around with the idea of crafting them into narratives. This will help your audience better relate to you compared to if you were to strictly tell other people’s stories.
3) Don’t shy from conflict
We all want to tell happy stories, so we tend to shy from negativity and conflict. However, the best stories have the main character overcoming incredibly difficult obstacles and impossible odds.
Why is that? Because it simply makes for a better story.
When crafting your stories, don’t steer from conflict. Embracing hardships and difficulties can make the resolution that much more satisfying and your overall story more engaging.
4) Be descriptive and use sensory words
Don’t just tell people what’s happening, describe what’s happening. Regardless of how unimportant some details may seem, try to give even the smallest details if it helps make for a better story in the end.
Providing detail will help your audience get out of simply listening to your story, and actually living in your story. Use words that allow the audience to feel, smell, hear, or see what’s happening.