Why Audiences Ignore And Quickly Forget Your Personal Story

I was listening to an interview featuring a Hall of Fame speaker. She said something that on the surface sounded harsh. But, as a storytelling coach I agreed with. She said: “Quit thinking that anyone cares about your personal story.” The idea of sharing of your...
Story Insight #7 – The First Step To Create Your Memorable Foundational Phrase

Story Insight #7 – The First Step To Create Your Memorable Foundational Phrase

Remember this phrase, “A message is a mess with age.”  When starting to create your foundational phrase, don’t attempt to make it perfect in the beginning. Get ideas out of your head and on to paper (or a spreadsheet).  A good starting point for creating your...

How Well-Known, Accepted Wisdom Can Hurt You

  “If you want to reach your audience, ya gotta get ‘em laughin’ one minute, and crying’ the next.”   Have you ever heard advice that sounded good, but ultimately, held you back or kept you from taking action? I have. It was the “wisdom” that started this...
A New Perspective on an Old Problem — 5 Simple Steps to Create Your Best Story

A New Perspective on an Old Problem — 5 Simple Steps to Create Your Best Story

Perhaps the biggest challenge I see as a storytelling consultant is this: Most people are inserting too much information and backstory into their narrative. What is the impact on your audience when you do this? The Lunch Buffet Effect. You remember buffets,...
3 Costly Humor Mistakes Which Derail the Impact of Your Speeches and Stories

3 Costly Humor Mistakes Which Derail the Impact of Your Speeches and Stories

It’s common knowledge in speaking circles that humor greatly increases the impact of your message. But, there’s a caveat. Your humor must be relevant and appropriate for each audience. Therefore, let’s take a look at three common mistakes that hurt your impact and...