The art of storytelling - Part 2: How to make your stories more effective
A man standing on a dark hill beneath a starry sky
You can have an absolutely cracking story but unless thought, crafting and effort goes into how that story unfolds even the best of tales can fall flat. There’s a few key ways in which you can bring a story to life, hook and hold your audience, then keep them gripped until the pay off. So here’s just a few short, sharp n sweet ways to help make your story hit home and stay there.
Let’s talk about how to make your stories truly stand out. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Structure Matters: Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end. But don’t just follow this formula blindly - use it to guide your audience through the emotional highs and lows of the narrative. You can be playful with structure, start at the end then scroll back in time or tease with a cliff hanger then work your way forwards towards it but underpinning however you navigate your story, a solid structure ensures that it flows smoothly and keeps your audience engaged. Just a word of warning here though, you can get too clever with this and I’ve ended up making a dog’s breakfast of a perfectly good story by over complicating the structure. Try to stand back and make sure you’ve still got a streamlined, easy to follow narrative flow. Be playful but don’t be messy!
Pacing Is Key: Don’t rush through the important moments, but don’t linger too long on unnecessary details either. Knowing when to speed up or slow down can keep your audience on the edge of their seat. Be brave enough to play with pacing, it’ll keep your audience sharp. Again you need to listen with a bit of distance and feel your way through the story, be really honest with yourself about whether you’ve got the pacing right. Get it right and the impact is pure emotion, get it wrong and it will jolt, it’ll jarr.
Sensory Details and Descriptions matter: Bring your story to life with sensory details. Instead of just telling your audience what happened, show them through sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. The more vivid your descriptions, the more immersive your story will be. Think about it. When have you been listening to an audio book or podcast and pictured every moment in your mind. The brain is a powerful tool when it comes to creating images, use that to your advantage! Plus (and this is connected to our next point) if you’re reaching for analogies and descriptions use one’s which will be particularly powerful and evocative to your target audience. There’s no point in using a Rangers/Celtic reference if you’re aiming to appeal to an American audience for familiar with the NFL so make your descriptions resonate through relevance.
Know Your Audience: It’s difficult to emphasise this one strongly enough, in fact Dan and me bang on about this all the time – audience, audience, audience. Tailor your stories to the people you're communicating with. Different audiences connect with different kinds of stories. A story that works for a corporate presentation might not resonate at a family gathering. Understand who you’re speaking to and adjust your narrative, tone, language and particularly your reference points accordingly. Knowing your audience is one of the most effective tools in your kit bag, it’ll also guide you to where you should be telling your story and how to market it.
Conclusion: Why Your Storytelling Matters
In the end, storytelling isn’t just a technique; it’s a way of thinking. Understanding the psychology behind why stories stick can help you craft more impactful, memorable narratives. Whether you’re crafting a brand message, delivering a presentation, or simply trying to connect with someone, your ability to tell a compelling story can make all the difference. So next time you’re preparing to share a message, ask yourself: How can I tell a story that sticks?
If you want to read about the key elements to make your story stick, head to our last post.
Want help with your storytelling? We deliver comprehensive, practical and hugely fun training which deep dives you into the anatomy of good storytelling and how to harness it for your own communication needs. If you want to learn more about the training we offer, visit our training page and get in touch