ANECDOTE
The sound engineer for my Audible book – SOMEDAY Is Not a Day In The Week – pulled me aside after recording and said, “I wish I could tell stories like you, but nothing interesting happens to me.”
I told him, “Everyone has interesting things happen to – or around them – that can be turned into stories.”
He smiled and said, “Like what?”
I asked, “What do you do when you aren’t working?” ** This is the first question I ask my clients to find stories because it identifies what they do that lights them up.
He said, “I love to surf!”
BINGO! This had potential because surfing has a mystique that people find interesting.
I asked, “Have you had any recent encounters that ‘stuck’ with you?”
He thought a moment and then his whole face brightened.
He told me that one day, he went to a local spot that required a climb down to the ocean.
He was getting his board ready when a buddy pulled into the parking lot and asked, “Have you checked it yet?”
Pete laughed and said, “That’s the difference between the two of us. You look for excuses NOT to surf. I look for excuses TO surf.”
BOOM. There it was. A real-life story with a powerful, juxtaposed punchline that could be turned into a metaphorical question that people can relate to.
ACTION
Let’s deconstruct this so you can do it for your presentations and posts. Follow the tips in the infographic below.
Keep your antenna up for intriguing things that happen to you and around you. Remember, they don’t have to initially relate to your topic. If what happened caused you to have an AHA, it can catalyze an AHA for your audience as well!
P.S. Want more ways to craft intriguing stories that make a positive difference for others – and a prosperous living for you? Join me at SpeakerBizCon in Las Vegas Dec 17-19. Details here.
