StoryWorthy
Matthew Dicks

Summary

Matthew discusses how to construct compelling stories, which if you think about it, is central to almost every conversation we have.

For more info, see here

Notes

Your story must reflect change over time

Don’t tell drinking or vacation stories

Don’t tell other people’s stories. Tell your version of them

If you wouldn’t tell your story at a dinner table, don’t tell it

If you had to tell a 5 minute story from what happened today, what would it be?

• It requires commitment and faith. Trust the process

Crash and burn - free flow writing (spend 15 minutes doing this)

• You must not get attached to any one idea
• You must not judge any thought that appears in your mind
• Don’t allow the pen to stop moving

First, last, best, worst prompt

All great stories tell the story of a give second moment in that person’[s life

It’s never about the big moment but the moments that forever changed you

Ask yourself where the story ends and what is the opposite of that? That’s the beginning. Change is key

The first idea is rarely the best idea

Start the story as close to the end as possible

Try to start your story with forward movement wherever possible

Don’t start by setting expectations

13 rules for a commencement speech:

• Don’t compliment yourself
• Be self-deprecating only if it’s real
• Don’t ask rhetorical questions
• Offer one bit of granular wisdom, one both applicable and memorable
• Don’t cater any part of the speech to the parents
• Make your audience laugh
• Never mention weather
• Speak as if you’re friends
• Emotion is good
• Don’t tell them what the world will be like
• Never quote the dictionary
• Don’t use other people’s quotes
• Finish your speech in less than the allotted time

Every story must have an elephant - the large and obvious thing

• Make your audience think they’re on path and trick them into another

The backpack: increase the audience’s anticipation of an event

• Make the audience wonder and make them experience the same emotion as you
• Their most effective when plans don’t work

Breadcrumbs: hint at a future event but only enough to keep the audience guessing

Hourglass: when the audience knows what’s coming, make them wait

Crystal balls: false predictions made by the storyteller to see if it’s true

Omit certain parts of the story

Audiences don’t want redemption

Compress your story

Change the order of the story to fit the narrative

Create a movie in the mind of your audience

• Always provide a physical location for every moment of the story
• Give every scene a location

Instead of using ‘and’ to connect stories, use ‘but’ and ‘therefore;

The negative is better than the positive when storytelling

For big stories, you must find small relatable moments everyone can appreciate

Always try and say less

The key is bringing out emotion in people is surprised

Start with a laugh

End your stories w/ heart, something bigger than a laugh

Your 5 second moment must focus on one thing

Ask yourself in your stories why you do the things you do

Shift tenses in your stories but start with the present so people feel like they’re there

People love underdog stories

Don’t ask rhetorical questions, don’t address the audience, no props

Don’t swear or use profanity in your blog

Never compare people in stories to celebrities

Don’t memorize your story: first lines, last lines and scenes

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