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One thing which often gets forgotten in our virtual and social media bubble is that storytelling is still about "on the ground reporting". Give it a local flavour, talk to direct sources, describe the mood, and do your in-depth research. I studied TV journalism at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in Egypt in 2007 way before the digital age. On the first day of school we were sent out to gather soundbites from pedestrians and shopkeepers on the birdflu outbreak. It was a great lesson. Nowadays, think about the full multimedia package: get pictures, video, and text, and as much as possible of it so that you can use your material for different formats and platforms.

I grew up in Philly, a poor Jewish kid in a neighborhood of the same. There were the two startup synagogues holding high holiday services in tents across the street from one another, like the joke about the Jewish man found on a deserted island with three buildings though I digress. Weekends and evenings were filled with stories and enough laughter couches were covered with plastic when women would involuntarily urinate from laughter. The food was almost as good as the stories. Almost. Which is to say practice. Then practice some more. Listen, laugh, cry. Watch people, animals, and things. Work on your own empathy. Avoid formulas. Don’t be dull or a dullard. Respect your readers. Care about your characters, even the awful ones.

Confidence primarily stems from having unique insights (which is a scarce and valuable commodity) and not just opinions (plenty of this going around) coupled with an understanding of current/potential audiences and their needs. Then it comes down to creating engaging and interesting "experiences" for those audiences so that both your insights as well as the consumption of that content can create unique and memorable engagement.

In my experience, good storytelling comes from having a solid understanding off the intended audience and emotive feel off the story. You must be able to draw a clear line between who the subject of the story is, and who the reader is. Storytelling is a journey that you take readers or viewers on.

Purpose - what do you want your audience to believe. Storytelling can be a lot like lying. You know the plot, the audience knows the plot, but which details you choose to add and highlight determine how effective the story is. Also important, believe in your story.

To become a more confident storyteller, practice is key. Start by telling stories in a comfortable setting like around friends, or through your own social media posts. Also, you can write regularly, record podcasts or create video content to polish your skills. Experiment with different styles and techniques to find what resonates best with your audience. Keep improving as well. With dedication, practice, and a willingness to learn, you can evolve into a confident and compelling storyteller.

The intent of your content is everything. Create a narrative where you know exactly how you're going to add value, and more importantly, where you're leading your audience to next.

The more you share , the more you know, when you share you know what people like, what they want to hear, what they wants and so you once you know the demand, you can prepare yourself to be more precise in terms of resources as well as content. So better is share, share and share.

Follow these focused steps to become a more confident storyteller: Define Your Purpose Connect with Your Audience Create a Structured Flow Compelling Start - Craft the perfect headline/hook Sensory Details Stir Emotions Practice Writing Seek Feedback And most importantly: Resilience: Learn from setbacks, growing resilience and reinforcing confidence. Positive Mindset: Foster positive self-talk and envision successful outcomes for heightened confidence. Commit to these practices and your confidence is sure to grow!

The effectiveness of the story will be determined by your audience reaction. So, make it relatable. Let your audience be the main character in the story. Let the main character win. Just letting your audience win in the story won’t suffice. You have to narrate it in a manner that gives goosebumps. For that you have to be authentic. Every word should come from your heart. So, the story should be relatable to you too. In a nutshell, if you can be the audience of your own story and some more can join the crowd, then you know you have done the job right.

Cultural Awareness and Cross-Cultural Communication play a significant role in understanding and resonating with the desired audience. As a storyteller, when you educate yourself about the diverse backgrounds, sensitivities, values, and triggers of your audience, you are in a much better position to produce content that is inclusive, relatable, and contextually accurate. This way, you avoid any inadvertent mention of cultural inaccuracies, misrepresentation, stereotypes, offensive language, or culturally disrespectful narratives that may otherwise seem harmless.

A good storyteller must be a good reader. The more you read, the more sources you feed from, the more creative you can be. Storytelling is actually the telling of experiences. Every book is an endless source of experience. You cannot be a good storyteller without being a good reader. You can add the books you recommend under this post.

I have a theater background, and have been writing for decades. I also used to wait tables for years. I would treat each of my tables as a stage and the guests as an audience. Every table was different and each audience got a different show. It became a skill picking up on the subtleties of each party. I had to read each audience and tailor my presentation to suit their experience. I find writing to be very similar.

A story without an audience is a journal entry — which isn't a bad thing, it just depends on what you're looking to achieve. If you do want your story to make its way into the right hands (or onto the right screens) the best way to start is by publishing something. Maybe it hits, maybe it flops, but at least you'll know and have some data points to start with. Consistently analysis what's working and refer back to those findings when you're deciding what story to tell next.

One thing to remember when considering your audience is that the story is STILL YOURS. The interests and needs of the audience or their age group and background is solely required to understand the way in which your story would connect better with them. "Knowing your audience" should not be confused with "write or tell what that audience might like".

Not every story will resonate with all. While on one hand, YOUR STORY has to be truthful & authentic, on the other hand, the audience has to emotionally connect with it too. It may be important to choose the right audience too

Find a friend or two who matches your audience and talk to them regularly. When you're not sure on a direction to take seek advice from them. They will give you heartfelt help.

The key is to find common ground. People want to know you are human so tell them somethng they can relate to. It's all about evoking universal appeal and experiences.

Examine your audience - find out what they love and hate. What brings peace of mind and what upsets them? This will help you to set the tone of the story.

Structure can seem intimidating. It really shouldn't be. It's simple: - Someone wants something that they can't immediately have. - They try to get it. - By the end, they either get it or they don't. But, either way, they learn something. This applies to movies and TV shows. It also applies to pitch decks and speeches and, even, memos. Construction Managers want to finish projects on time and on budget. But they have XYZ problems. We get them what they want with our solution. We all want a healthy, clean breakroom. But we saw mice there the other day. We need to keep the breakroom clean. It's really simple: - Want - Try - Solve or Fail and Learn

Estructurar previamente da seguridad, es cierto, pero saltarse alguna regla y sorprender, es aún mejor. No tengas miedo en darle naturalidad a la historia. Rompe con sutileza alguna regla. Despierta la curiosidad de tu audiencia.

Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" is a phenomenal book about storytelling. It's a screenwriting book that covers the Three Act structure in depth. I've spent hours learning that structure and the "beats" a story must have. You won't fit all the beats into an article for the web, but it's vital to understand the story arc and climax. Sometimes, journalistic pieces also end on a "cliffhanger." The ending isn't obviously a cliffhanger, and it often occurs because the story is ongoing and the journalist simply doesn't know the ending. But the piece leaves enough questions unanswered to make the reader want to search for more articles on the topic. It's a powerful technique.

Essence of any good storytelling is that it has a hangover effect. Your audience would often want to revisit it in their thoughts. To achieve this, it becomes important to know that every story moves in a rhythm. A storyteller can decide which parts of it would be slow or fast, up or down, but eventually, there needs to be movement. For emotional moments, these movements can be extremely slow, but never stagnant.

Structure is equally important for other forms of storytelling. What's the intro in a new story? The one liner that will hook the reader and reel them in? It needs to be true.

Story structuring is important. It gives your story that systematic flow that ensures that your audience see themselves through your story. Take them on an adventure that is big on where they were, or where they are currently. Amplify the symptoms of the problem, using real-life scenarios. Take them to that point where they almost got it, but fell along the way. Create lessons out of it. Sell the solution. -VE

One of the most fulfilling experiences for readers is when a story is 'round'. Meaning that your last sentence reacts or refers to a question, concept or image is introduced in the first sentence(s). The communication agency I worked at a couple of years ago actually found in data-analysis that posts that did that generated more likes.

Books by Joseph Campbell about mythology and character/plot development can help here. Stories have plots with arcs and characters have archetypes. Look at the best Hollywood movies. They take viewers on an immersive journey.

Story mapping is the key. This will help create cohesive and well-structured narratives with a clear and engaging plot progression.

Don't go straight to the obvious delivery: a PPT or Slides deck. A standard memo. A standard speech. Push the edges. What would be a weird, fun, surprising way to deliver your information? A comic book? A song? A more casually written document? Here's the funny thing: you can end up back at the standard delivery: a deck, a speech, a memo. But the process of imagining more fun and surprising delivery media will open your mind and make you more creative. You can slide a moment or two of surprise into the most conventional of delivery mechanisms. Just a moment of real humor (not the canned joke book jokes) or surprise in a deck, a memo, a speech will make folks remember you.

While the story is 50% important, right delivery is leads to the rest 50% success. How to achieve that in 5 steps? 1. Keep the words simple. No need of jargons. 2. Keep the sentences short. 3. Ask a question in the beginning. 4. Try to build curiosity in the first few minutes. 5. End the story with 1-2 lines which summarises and is the key takeaway of your story.

It's also important to keep in mind where your audience is hearing this story. What medium are you using to tell the story? If it's audio only, you'll need to be extra expressive with your voice, delivering excitement, emotion, and all the nuances of the story vocally. If it's on camera, make sure when you're expressing with your hands you bring them up to chest-level because they'll often get cropped out in the editing room if you're holding them too low. After it's recorded make sure you play it back and try to see it as an audience member. If you were a viewer or listener, would it hold your attention? Would it still have impact? If not, re-record it and tailor your delivery to suit the medium more effectively.

Practice makes perfect, but nothing matches passion, authenticity and truth. Tell stories that connect with you as well as your audiences. Audiences easily spot a fake.

A story in our heads vs a story that the audience perceives are 2 very different elements. These might be further different from the story that is spoken through voice. A regular check on these to be as close to each other as possible can help ensure best connect.

Making eye contact, smiling, and adding a few anecdotes really help to engage an audience and maintain their interest. It also helps to ask questions and make your delivery interactive.

Capture all angles and perspectives. Ensure you have no cognitive bias while telling a story as this might influence the writing structure or pattern. If possible step away from the story and view it from the lense of your audience as this would give a better grasp of your message.

In the realm of effective communication, the KISS principle, which stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid," is a valuable guide. When implementing KISS in your delivery, aim to convey your message in a clear and straightforward manner. Simplify complex ideas, avoid unnecessary jargon, and focus on the core message. By doing so, you enhance comprehension and engagement.

Listening is storytelling too. Pauses aren't just about the breaks between two situations. These can also mean that the storyteller wants to read the room.

When you really know a subject, sometimes you can introduce the story and let the audience choose their own adventure. I've done this when conducting guided tours of Appuldurcombe House. Some groups want to know about architecture, others about people and events, others still about ghosts!

Feedback is a valuable tool for personal and professional growth. It provides insights into your strengths and areas for improvement, serving as a guide for refining your skills. Embrace both positive and constructive feedback, as each offers a unique perspective on your performance.

It's incredible what a fresh set of eyes can do for a story. I have a tendency to get a little too in the weeds, especially with articles that I really care about, and that zoomed-in perspective isn't always the best view. Try having someone who has no background in the beat or topic give it a skim. What don't they understand? What could be clearer? What kind of language is too jargon-y? Sometimes weak points you didn't even notice will become crystal clear when you just hand the story off to someone else for a few minutes.

The two most important words in storytelling are "empathy" and "humility". You need to empathize with your audience. Do they understand the words you are using? Do they understand why your story matters? Do they remember what you said a few minutes after you said it? They decide. And if they don't get it, care, or remember, that's on you. You weren't empathetic enough to see the world through their eyes. Humility is how you get there. The best storytellers never, ever, ever say "I'm a great storyteller." They embrace feedback. Especially highly critical feedback. (The most devastating: "oh, yeah, I read that. What was about it again?") Be humble. Be empathetic. You'll be fine.

El poder del feedback. Dime lo que piensas. Dime cómo te has sentido al leerlo. Busca cómplices. Implícate con ellos. Cambia la forma y adapta sin perder tu esencia.

What works for one, may not work for another. Some will excel when recording podcasts, whilst others may prefer being on stage or writing a story from behind the screen. Whichever storytelling method you choose, make sure it matches your personality and brings out the best in you. Storytelling is fun and should never feel like a chore.

“Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” ― Mia Hamm I began with it, because growth is subjective, to each one to their own. But, growth is a mindset, if you can comprehend it, you can see it. So, storytelling is kind of a journey that you live and make readers and listeners live as well through words. So, while you tell your story, be open to feedback, because it can either make you or break you (you decide). In both cases, it will only decide your future path. Nothing can help you measure growth, except for you who can see it and live it every day. Set your goals, measure your yards, seek your path, and work towards walking on it. Be open to the all-weather milieu.

Confidence is not something most people are born with so you need to earn your confidence. The more stories you share at various stages, the more confidence is generated within. Being part of a like-minded community can really help you too.

I wrote an article for Entrepreneur and Insider covering how reading fiction makes us better non-fiction writers. The human mind seems hardwired for stories, and the average human spends 6% of every day consuming stories. People want to be entertained regardless of whether they're reading fiction or non-fiction. They want to be transported, and to believe in the protagonist. Fiction writers are pros at getting people to believe, and they use myriad techniques to do so—leveraging the five senses, monitoring a story's pace, following a story arc, putting a character in pain, and other "tricks." Anyone wanting to tell powerful stories for their business should read fiction weekly and learn what these storytellers are doing.

It's important to also remember that growth is not necessarily the main agenda to tell your stories, even though thinking about it can help. The 'purpose' is the main reason to tell a story.

It is important to understand your brand license and what expectations audiences might have from your brand. For example, the McKinsey Publishing audience expects gravitas and insights they can apply to their own challenges around business topics and doesn't turn to us for news or entertainment, even if we can provide an engaging and innovative/entertaining experience in consuming our insights.

Source attribution: If you are telling a story as a journalist, it’s important that you don’t compromise on your facts— a smart reader/listener always wants to know how you know what you know. It’s important to establish what is the source of the information that you are presenting to your audiences, especially when there’s rampant #misinformation as well as #disinformation circulating. Sometimes journalists include statistics and numbers in their video explainers but do not include the source for those numbers/figures, which can confuse the audiences if they find another statistic for a similar context, this can impact the credibility of the journalist. Besides, responsible storytelling can also aid media literacy.

Tell your stories to yourself. See if you stay amused by it. That's one of the best checks to know if it's going to connect with others. In other words, tell a story you'd want to listen. This can be done either by recording your words and then playing it back to yourself at another time, or just speaking out loud your own thoughts.

To become a good storyteller, you must know why you should tell the story, to whom you are telling the story, why they should listen to your story and what is it for them in the story. You cannot tell trigonometry to a kindergarten student and expect him to use it to make London Bridge with the blocks by following the principles in it. You should make the reader immersed in the story, and visualize it, as if he is witnessing everything in that story around him, like by using a VR set. You should tell the story in a way that the reader feels travelling with the characters, participating in the incidents, taking the pain and celebrating the success.

Confidence is byproduct of comfort. You need to get comfortable with 3 things: 1/ Comfort with yourself 2/ Comfort with your audience 3/ Comfort with the subject of your story I've see most people struggling with the first one. Getting comfortable with yourself. It's all about heightened awareness. Knowing your style, your quirks, your body language. If you get uncomfortable with telling stories in a larger groups then practice more with smaller groups first. Keep increasing your level of confidence, by extending your level of comfort.

What makes a story stick (forever) is a great image. Think: the birth/showing of Simba in the Lion King, the steamy windows of the carriage in the Titanic, 'a small step for man...'. So make sure you choose (some of) your words so that it immediately brings up an image into your readers mind, details matter. You can even make these details more meaningful/powerful by simply repeating them/referring to them throughout your story.

Storytelling is about compelling and captivating readers. If something about your story moves you, it will move your readers as well. Go with your gut!

I used to tell college students in my writing courses, "On a couple assignments, imagine that you're drunk, then take a crack at the writing." What that really meant was "take chances!" People, especially non-writers, are so in their own heads about writing that they are stuck before they even begin. As a result, many give up. You want to supercharge your writing? Once you have audience, objective, distribution channel uncovered, try writing with reckless abandon. Ask: -- What's the most bananas version of this story? -- How would this unfold as a movie? -- My audience cares, how do I get them to care more? These tips might not help with *every* piece of writing, but the exercise will free up new perspectives!

Tell stories and even more stories. Another word for that is practice. I've always loved telling tales, but it's when I started taking every opportunity to speak that my confidence began to grow. Tell stories at the pub, entertain at home with tales, teach others using stories. These are but a few opportunities I take full advantage of.