How to tell a story effectively?

Before people learned to write, they told each other stories. Telling a story is like painting a picture with words. Stories connect, inspire, guide, create change and heal. Storytelling has enabled people to make sense of the world and draw deeper meaning from their lives since the beginning of human history. Storytelling techniques and methods change, as well as the ways of communicating and the subjects, but the power of storytelling to move us and provoke a deeper sense of connection between all of us has never changed .

Regardless of the media, we are all consumers of stories and, deep down, always have been.

Why do we tell stories?

Storytelling is an art form as old as time and has a place in every culture and society. How come? Because stories are a universal language that everyone, regardless of dialect, hometown or heritage, can understand. Stories spark imagination and passion and create a sense of community between listeners and storytellers .

Stories consolidate abstract concepts and simplify complex messages. In a world divided by a multitude of things, stories bring people together and create a sense of community. Stories make us human, and so do brands . This is why creating a specific and ad hoc narrative about your brand or product not only humanizes it, but allows us to make it better known to customers and potential customers.

Developing your storytelling skills and learning how to turn experiences into a story takes practice, but there are effective ways to improve the art of storytelling. Just like art, storytelling requires creativity, vision and skill, but above all it is discipline. Anyone who believes that writing is just genius or improvisation is very wrong . Did you know that Stephen King , one of the most prolific authors ever, writes four hours nonstop every morning every day?

Storytelling is a powerful tool that leaders use to motivate the masses, and writers strive to create their own literature. Tapping into people's emotions and laying bare both good and bad is how stories inspire and motivate and ultimately lead to action.

7 storytelling tips for unforgettable stories

If you're just starting out in writing and telling stories, here are 7 storytelling tips that can help you strengthen your narratives and engage your audience. Don't forget that a story involves a two-way interaction between a narrator and one or more listeners. Listeners' responses influence the telling of the story. Indeed, storytelling emerges from the interaction and cooperative and coordinated efforts between narrator and audience and certainly does not create an imaginary barrier between the speaker and the listener.

1. Choose a well-defined central message

A great story usually progresses towards a central moral or message. When you create a story, you should have a clear idea of what you are building. If your story has a strong moral component, you certainly want to lead listeners or readers to that message. If you're telling a compelling story, try building up the dramatic tension and suspense all the way to the climax of the narrative. Regardless of the type of story you are telling, it is important to be very clear about the central theme or plot point around which the story is being built.

Is the story used to sell a product or raise funds, or to publicize a service? What's the point of the story? To help you define it, try summarizing your narrative in up to 10 words. If you can't, well, you don't have a core message.

2. Conflict is not a bad thing in storytelling

As a storyteller, you can't avoid conflict. Great storytellers create stories that have all sorts of obstacles and hardships strewn in their protagonists' path. To be satisfied with a happy ending, the audience has to watch the main characters struggle to achieve their goals. It's okay to be cruel to the main characters, in fact, it's necessary. Compelling storylines are built on conflict and it is imperative to embrace drama and confrontation to become a better storyteller.

3. Have a clear story structure

There are many different ways to structure a story, but the three ingredients that make a story come alive are:

• a start
• a central part
• an end.

Specifically a success story will begin with an incitement incident that will lead to escalating action, after which it will reach a climax and eventually settle into a satisfactory resolution. There are many books and online resources that can help you better understand these terms, but the best way to understand how to write a story is to read a lot of stories .

The world is full of great storytellers from literature and cinema that we can draw upon to learn how they shape the structure of each story.

4. Take inspiration from your own personal experiences

Whatever story you are telling, you can always draw inspiration from your own life or look at the experiences and stories of those close to you to find what and how to tell. Think about important events in your life and how you might be able to turn them into narratives. Sometimes something that has happened to us seemingly trivial can become an exciting incipit of a compelling story.

5. Engage the audience for effective storytelling

Great storytelling requires that the teller be connected with the listener. Be warned though, much of how you attract listeners depends on the narrative mode you choose. If you're reading a story in front of an audience, you might try looking away from the page every so often to make eye contact with it. If you're recording a narrative podcast, a lot depends on the expressiveness of the voice and the ability to convey emotion with your tone.

However you choose to tell your story, you need to build a relationship with the people who are listening .

6. Observe good storytellers

Our personal stories will always be unique and specific to us, but there's no better way to learn how to create a great story than by watching how the storytellers we love tell their stories.

Most of us know people who we consider to be eloquent and engaging storytellers. Whether it's a family member who entertains everyone at the dinner table with childhood tales or a friend who excels at public speaking, chances are we've met more than a handful of talented storytellers in our lifetime. Let's find good storytellers, listen to them and learn through observation . How do they create a success story?

7. Narrow the scope of your story

If you're telling a real story about yourself, it can be difficult to pick important main points to include. Many people have a tendency to report every detail and end up inundating the audience with facts that dilute the central story arc. Define a clear beginning and end for your story, then write key plot events as bullet points between them. Trust that your audience will be able to follow the story without overwhelming them with unnecessary backstory or devious plot points.