📖 The storytelling arbitrage
Hello! Adam Thornhill here. ‘The Podcast Guy’ saving you 10 hours a week.
Enjoy the 108th Podup, with special thanks to ChatGPT Consulting (by yours truly).
Today, we’ll dive into the best insights and ideas from Modern Wisdom.
Storytelling can set you apart. Most people aren't very good at it, so if you do it well, you have a rare power over others. In this episode, Shaan Puri delves into the essence of storytelling and how you can transform the way you communicate.
Why should you care?
Steve Jobs said 'The Storyteller is the most powerful person on Earth'. Why? Because they get everybody else to take action. This is how politicians win votes. It's how CEOs run companies. Through stories.
But you're very rarely taught how to tell a story. If I asked you 'I want to get better at storytelling. What should I do?' Nobody knows how to articulate it. There's a massive arbitrage here.
Shaan Puri
The principles of storytelling
If you listen to Aaron Sorkin, the writer behind West Wing and The Social Network, he repeats one thing over and over again. Stories are about intentions and obstacles.
If you watch any movie or TV show, within 5 minutes of every story you'll see a hero that wants something (intention) and has something in the way (obstacle).
What do you do to make a story more compelling? The next ingredient is what's at stake if the hero doesn't get what they want. Stakes escalate throughout a story.
For example, if the intention is I'm hungry and the obstacle is lunch is in the other room, it's not an exciting story. If the stakes are this person hasn't eaten in 30 days and if they don't eat they're going to die, all of a sudden the story is more interesting.
Shaan Puri
Why it matters
Storytelling isn't just for authors or filmmakers. It's a fundamental skill that influences decision-making and drives action. By mastering storytelling, you can stand out, persuade effectively, and find a way to get what you want.
Next steps
Identify the core. Before crafting your story, pinpoint your recipient's intention and obstacle. What do they want, and what's stopping them?
Elevate the stakes. Determine what's at risk for the recipient. The higher the stakes, the more compelling your story will be, the more likely they will act.
Practice and refine. Record yourself practicing your story, show friends or colleagues, and ask how you can be more compelling and engaging.
Study great storytellers. When watching TV, movies, or reading a book, analyze their use of intentions, obstacles, and stakes.
Iterate and evolve. Like any skill, storytelling improves with practice. Continuously refine your approach based on feedback and learnings.
Your thoughts?
Thanks to ChatGPT Consulting for making this post possible…
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Quotes were pulled at different points of the episode. Sentences were left out to make the narrative more concise. Podup is not associated or affiliated with any podcast.