My Friend's Son: Question 2 - Safe Landing

As I continue to explore the questions I received while recently working with “My Friend’s Son”, my hope is we can all improve our self-awareness, communication, and overall social confidence, with help from some of the prescribed solutions offered to these bold and insightful questions.

With that said, and in the spirit of accountability and consistency, below is the exercise, take-away, and practical application I prescribed for that second question.

Here’s to using our storytelling ability to take people on a meaningful and memorable journey, where we can navigate with confidence and our audience stays with us and feels authentically engaged. And when the story has run its course, my hope is we will all have some tools and techniques to ensure that everyone experiences a… safe landing.

Question #2: “What is a good method I can use to improve my ability as a storyteller?”

Exercise: “Story Spine”: A 7-phase storytelling structure that gives us a nice, simple framework to follow as we take off, soar, and land.

1. Once Upon A Time… This is the establishing scene of the story. Everyone is familiar with the concept of “once upon a time”, going back to some of the first stories we heard as children. Opening with this mindset – not necessarily these exact words - gives us a clear take off point, introduces us to the protagonist and possibly other character, and establishes the “flight path”, metaphorically speaking.  

2. And Every Day… This establishes the daily routine of the character(s) in this world. It also helps establish normalcy in their world and provides a pattern and some details to help inform the audience and keep them engaged.  

3. Until One Day... The disruption. This is where the story pivots and something slightly or massively unexpected occurs. This is the “buckle up” moment, and where the “adventure” truly begins. 

4. Because of That… This shows how the character(s) are affected by “until one day”. 

5. Because of That… This builds on what happened in the previous moment.  

6. Because of That… This continues the journey and propels us to some sort of conclusion. 
7. And So… This initiates the landing, and is where the protagonist and/or characters might have a realization of some type. This is also where they may change something about themselves, experience a realization, and/or come to some new understandings. As leaders, teachers, coaches, presenters, the “and so” is a crucial part of the journey, where we can tell our audiences why we shared what we shared, connect it all back to their needs, meet them where they are, and make it make sense for them.

Take-away: “Land the Plane”: Using a flight as a metaphor, think of yourself (the storyteller) as the pilot, visualize your audience as the passengers. and think of the story you’re telling as the flight. Flights vary in many ways, but what all successful flights have in common is a smooth take-off, a pleasant journey, and a safe landing. 

Practical Application: 

Using the Story Spine structure, practice with this template by writing out your story to see how it all unfolds within this framework. You could go anywhere with this. For example, you could include defining moments before you started your career, the moment you found your purpose within your corporation, organization, classroom, or team, and how you have grown and/or things have changed because of your involvement.

As we continue to go on this journey together, and in our genuine desire to have you with us while keeping you authentically engaged, the question we’ll be addressing next week is…

How can I remain interesting in conversations, without always relying on trying to be funny?

Stay tuned as we spend these next few weeks getting our… Answers On!