One More Cool Way To Introduce Your Character (part 3 of 3)
. Here's another cool way to give insight into your character: Describe how that person is introduced into your story. You could open your story talking about a company president who is sitting in her high back chair. She's dressed in a blouse and jeans. The room is...

Story Insight #12 – One Memorable Tool To Instantly Provide Insight Into Your Character
How can you give your audience insight into your main character without giving a long and drawn out backstory? One cool way is to describe the way your character is dressed. This can give us insight into the individual’s personality. For example, picture a woman who...

Story Insight #11: How To Give Insight Into Your Main Character (Part 1 of 3)
The best stories are about the transformation of a relatable main character. In the next three posts, you'll pick up insights into how to create a main character that people will root for and want to see succeed. The starting point is obvious. As simple as...

How To Avoid Sending Your Audience To Your Biggest Competitor
Every time you speak, you are in competition. Not with other individuals or companies. You're competing with a device that has become the center of most peoples lives: The cell phone. I know what you may be thinking, “Thanks, Mr. Obvious. Everybody knows that.” I'm...

Story Insight #10 – How To Capture Attention With Alliteration And Rhythm
In this fourth and final tip for creating a memorable foundational phrase, do your best to create rhythm and alliteration. Alliteration, like with my phrase Sell more with Stories, includes repetition of the same sound — in this case “S.” Rhythm comes from shorter...

3 Proven Pillars Of High Impact Stories
Shortcuts To Immediately Increase Your Storytelling Influence When you implement these 3 proven pillars, you’ll be able to create high impact stories that persuade people to take action. Pay close attention to my favorite, Pillar #2. Let’s dive in: High Impact...

Story Insight #9: Share The Results And You’ll Get Their Attention
In the last tip, you read about including action in your foundational phrase. If you missed the last tip, Click Here. Today’s insight is a slightly different twist. Ensure your phrase is results oriented. In my program, Sell More With Stories, there’s a clear...

Story Insight #8 – How To Give Energy And Inspire Action With Your Foundational Phrase
Now that you have the first version of your foundational phrase, let's work on making it action oriented. (If you missed the last video on the first step in crafting your Foundational Phrase, click here) The best phrases trigger an emotional or action-oriented...

The Most Important Phrase To Develop For An Influential Story
One of the most important elements of your story is the Foundational Phrase. This is one sentence that sums up the meaning of the entire story. Ideally, a month, a year, or five years after hearing your story, people will remember the purpose of your story when they...

Can We Please Quit Focusing On The Standing Ovation?
As a speaker and trainer, I frequently have to remind myself and others to avoid a common problem that keeps us from sounding unique and fresh: Clichés. When we use clichés, we plant seeds in the minds of the audience that we’re not original thinkers, that we’re...

Storytelling Insight: Why you should record your story before you write it
In the early part of my coaching career, I made a big mistake with clients. I would ask them to write out their stories. Why is that a mistake? Because the written word looks good on paper, but it doesn't always sound good to the ear. I call it going into author...
Storytelling Insight: Should You Start With Your Story Or Your Message?
A common question in storytelling is, “Do I write the story and then create the message or do I start with the message and then work on the story?” There's not a right or wrong answer to this. However, I'm a big fan of having the message first and then finding the...