How to Tell Stories So Good People Just Say “Holy Sh*t”

When I first got into storytelling, I was completely confused. All the tips out there made it sound so complicated.

But I learned it's actually pretty easy if you know what matters. If you just give me 7 minutes, I'll show you how to tell better stories than 97% of people.

The secret to great storytelling comes down to one thing. Zooming into the moment. The best storytellers drop you

moment. The best storytellers drop you into one specific scene that you can see, feel, and remember. But let me show you what I mean. Here's a 30-se secondond story from Anne Hatherway. I

I've been to the gym and I'm on and I'm on this machine and um I see this guy staring at me and I'm like, "Oh god, am I am I doing something wrong?" And I'm like, "Hey, is everything cool? Like,

did you want to work in?" And he goes, "Oh god, no. I'm just in my own world."

Like, "No." And I was like, "Okay, cool." Cuz you were like staring at me

cool." Cuz you were like staring at me really hard. So, I go back and I get off

really hard. So, I go back and I get off the machine. And then he comes up to me.

the machine. And then he comes up to me.

He's like, "So, uh, you've been working out of this gym for a long time." And I was like, "Oh my god, he's hitting on me." And I'm like, "Oh, um, I mean,

me." And I'm like, "Oh, um, I mean, yeah, I've been been coming here for a little bit." He's like, "Cool. I'm a

little bit." He's like, "Cool. I'm a

trainer here." And I was just wondering if he wanted some pointers. And I was like, "Oh, no. He not hitting on you. He

just wants a job." So, I say to this guy like, you know, I had a baby seven weeks ago. And he goes, "Oh, trying to lose

ago. And he goes, "Oh, trying to lose the baby weight."

Wow.

So, I just, you know, muster up my dignity and I say, "No, Brandon, I'm just trying to regain my strength." And

he said, "Great." ate and he walked away and I cried a little bit.

Did you catch it? She didn't say, "Oh, I was at the gym and then this guy came by and gave me some advice." She didn't do that. That would have been a summary.

that. That would have been a summary.

Instead, she zoomed into this one specific moment, the one conversation.

It felt like a movie playing in our mind. The good news is that it's

mind. The good news is that it's actually easier than you think. And you

can do exactly the same just by using four simple techniques I call P A S T or past. Now, you can think of zooming into

past. Now, you can think of zooming into the past. First technique P for place.

the past. First technique P for place.

Start by telling us where the story is happening. Examples. Two weeks ago, I'm

happening. Examples. Two weeks ago, I'm sitting on the couch in my living room in Chicago. Or I'm outside the

in Chicago. Or I'm outside the conference room taking a deep breath.

And when you tell your audience where you are, a picture starts forming in their heads. They hear living room or

their heads. They hear living room or conference room and they instantly start imagining it. It doesn't matter which

imagining it. It doesn't matter which living room or conference room they can picture as long as they can picture something. Sometimes people think that

something. Sometimes people think that they need to describe the location like in great detail. They're like, "The conference room had a big wooden table, a shiny whiteboard, and a very modern

screen. Please don't do that." Going

screen. Please don't do that." Going

into those details can make your story feel staged or fake, and it just wastes time on details that are not really important. Next technique, A for

important. Next technique, A for actions. Next, share what is actually

actions. Next, share what is actually happening. What are you or someone else

happening. What are you or someone else doing in that moment? Are you walking, biking yelling typing waiting crying, whatever it is, describe it.

Examples: I'm staring at my laptop, hovering over the scent button, or I'm putting my bags onto the security belt at the airport. These actions make your story as if it was unfolding in real

time. They give your audience a mental

time. They give your audience a mental movie to follow along, and they add momentum to your story. So, describe the action. But the next technique is

action. But the next technique is actually the one that I use the most. S

for speech. Many of your stories will involve more than one character. Maybe a

co-orker, a client, a family member, a friend. You can make your story

friend. You can make your story instantly more interesting by sharing what you or that character said in that crucial moment of the story. What were

the exact words? Quote that person.

Examples: Instead of saying, "Oh, my manager was very frustrated." Say, "My manager called me and said, "What the hell was that?" You were all over the place. Or instead of saying, "My mom

place. Or instead of saying, "My mom loved the idea." Say, "My mom told me, "Wow, this is exactly what I needed.

Thank you so much." Now, dialogue pulls your listeners into the scene. It makes

the story feel as if it was unfolding in real time. But don't worry if you can't

real time. But don't worry if you can't remember the exact words of that moment.

Well, feel free to use the words that could have been said in that moment. And

last technique, T for thoughts. We as

humans, we have thousands and thousands of thoughts every single day. Our brains

constantly bounce between fears, hopes, dreams, plans, crazy thoughts. Now to

make your story more interesting, more emotional, share some of those thoughts.

Ask yourself, what was I thinking during that crucial moment of the story? And

then just share those thoughts.

Examples, instead of saying, I was nervous about that meeting, say, I thought, oh, please don't ask me any questions, right? I don't know the

questions, right? I don't know the answers. Or instead of saying, I was

answers. Or instead of saying, I was excited, say, I thought, this is my moment. this will be the video that will

moment. this will be the video that will blow up my channel. Do you see the difference? It seems like semantics, but

difference? It seems like semantics, but it makes the story much more interesting. A common mistake is that

interesting. A common mistake is that people share a version of their thoughts that sounds just too professional. They

say something like, "I thought this represents a supreme opportunity." Do

you actually think like that? Probably

not, right? Most of our thoughts, they are quite different to that. They're a

bit chaotic, irrational, sometimes downright neurotic. But those are the

downright neurotic. But those are the exact thoughts that will make your story more interesting. So when you share

more interesting. So when you share those thoughts, give your audience the raw, unfiltered, polished version of that thought. But let's now watch

that thought. But let's now watch another short story, this time from actor Chris Pratt. And as you watch it, see if you can spot the elements of past. I had this rule with my old man

past. I had this rule with my old man and and I have it with my son, which is when you're fishing, you can swear. So

we're out fishing. He catches a fish and I'm trying to get him to take a picture with the fish before we let it go and it flops out of his hands and it and these bass have these little spines on on their back and the fin pokes him in the

hand falls in the water. He starts to cry and he's like, "Oh." And I said, "Hey buddy, are you all right? You all

right?" He said, "Oh, Dad, I'm about to swear." He goes, "That bass, that bass

swear." He goes, "That bass, that bass is stupid."

is stupid." And I was like, "All right, buddy. Yeah,

you know, now's the time. Get it out."

And he goes, That stupid bass is a [ __ ] [ __ ] Let's break down why this story works so well. First place. Right away, he gives

well. First place. Right away, he gives us a vivid place. He's out on the water fishing with his son. Boom. That

instantly creates that image in our heads. Second action. He doesn't stay

heads. Second action. He doesn't stay awake, right? He describes exactly

awake, right? He describes exactly what's happening. His son is catching

what's happening. His son is catching this fish. The fish flops in his hand.

this fish. The fish flops in his hand.

And at the end, the fin even pokes him.

That level of detail makes the moment feel real. And then third speech, he

feel real. And then third speech, he then shares what his son says in this moment. He doesn't just summarize that

moment. He doesn't just summarize that his son was upset. Instead, he says, "Dad, I'm about to swear." That is such a funny line. This one is so good. And

then fourth thoughts. In that story, he doesn't share that much of what he was thinking in the moment. I would say in this story, actually, the dialogue did the heavy lifting. But that just shows that sure, if your story can have all

the four techniques, perfect. But even

if it just has three out of the four, it's already enough. So if you want your stories to land, remember this. Zoom

into the moment. Storytelling isn't just about flying over the scene.

Storytelling is about walking through that front door. Now, today we covered the foundation of every great story. But

if you want to go further, check out this next video where I give you some even more actionable tips on how to become a magnetic storyteller. See you

there.