Storytelling is one of the most sophisticated art there is. You can never go wrong when you tell great stories. And if you’re an introvert looking to be a better story teller, this article is for you.
Have you ever needed to tell a story but you never knew how to? Sometimes our personal encounters can make great entertainment material. However, with the wrong delivery, it just goes off. It becomes boring with sometimes, too much information (TMI).
Telling better stories always comes from your heart. But your heart is nothing but the first draft. This is where you let your head come in. You don’t want people sleeping off when you are telling a story.
For introverts, it might make them never wanna talk again. However, with all the stories inside them, it’s not a good idea.
People tend to check their phones, talk to each other, or straight up “zone out” when they are listening to terrible stories. However, if you do not know what you did wrong, you’ll never know how to fix things.
I have been telling stories since I can remember. And an introvert, I’ve had moments where I would like to share something but I couldn’t find the right words for it. Storytelling is a form of bending. Bending the mind.
Do not worry, because a lot of people aren’t very good at telling better stories. People who are seen as great story tellers learned the art over time. Story telling doesn’t come naturally to everybody.
By telling better stories, you can alternate a person’s universe. You can transport people from one time to another. Great storytelling creates emotions they never thought they had. It can make people laugh, cry, or get them hooked.
You do not want all your thoughts to live and die in your head. As introverts, we do not feel compelled to telling anyone anything. We do because we choose to.
Introverts may not feel the need to tell a story. However, they have interesting things to talk about.
Storytelling does not necessarily have to be about adventures of your life. It can be a movie you saw or a book you read. Giving off your interpretation of the movie or book can make a good story. Even better is when you connect it to your own experiences.
Getting people’s attention for that moment, having them imagine everything you say or write, that’s power. You do not want them yawning or checking their phones when you feel you’re saying all the right things.
You Can Tell Better Stories
Many people give up on the art of story telling because they feel they are incapable of delivering it effectively. They feel their delivery is terrible and they just can’t get the attention they need.
Have you ever been telling a story and you know you’re doing it terribly? Did you continue because you’re knee deep and it’s too late to stop. As the words come out of your mouth, did you wish you had never started? Well, a lot of people face this.
Bad story telling can make people lose interest. It can also discourage you from telling another story ever again. Telling better stories, however, challenge you every time you start. Sometimes you tell the story so well, it’s like you are hearing it for the first time.
With a lot of practice and learning, mastering storytelling will come easy. You just need to put in the work. You need to learn, practice, fail, and start again.
So, I have compiled 5 ways that can help you tell better stories. With these tips, you can be a better storyteller than you ever thought possible.
5 Tips To Help You Tell Better Stories
1. Know Your Audience and Know Yourself
The very first tip to storytelling is knowing your audience. They can make or break you. I like to think we are different people in the world of storytelling. Some things tend to resonate more with certain people than others.
When you know your audience, you know what they expect. You know the kind of stories that’ll make them sit up in their chairs. Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t try new things with your audience.
There are people who will never pick up a crime novel but will rather read fantasy. This doesn’t mean the crime author is a terrible storyteller. Their audience think they are completely phenomenal. And that’s why you need to know your audience.
Growing up in a traditional society, there are some stories you tell older folks and there are some you keep far away from them.
Another important factor is knowing yourself. You need to know what kind of stories you can tell and how you can deliver them. Personally, I take a more sarcastic approach to storytelling of all kinds. Even when I’m writing an erotica or just a casual daily adventure.
It keeps the mood lighthearted and I know those are my strengths as well. Understanding your strengths is very important in the storytelling game. It’s just as important as understanding your audience.
2. Start With an Attention Grabber
Story telling isn’t a dictionary that starts chronologically. You do not need to try that approach because it will bore people out. Have you ever explained a joke before? The laugh isn’t really organic. People just nod because they finally understand you.
That is a low blow.
You should let your audience know why they are listening to you in the first place. You have to attract them. They should anticipate what’s next in your story.
How I start a story? “Let me tell you about the craziest man I met today?” Now what goes through the audience’s mind? I met a man today, he was crazy, but how much?
Another example: “So I just had the craziest day and I’ll never eat cheese again” again arousing curiosity. How did cheese make my day so crazy? Sometimes all you need is to challenge your audience.
How to challenge your audience? “You will never believe…” “I don’t know if you guys know this but…” this is enough to make them want to know. It keeps them interested and helps you set the mood.
3. Set The Mood
Telling a story in a monotonous voice is a way to watch it fall flat. You do not want that because you control everything. And right now, you’re controlling a very boring world. Full of yawns and complete ennui.
As the narrator of the story, you have to express it with your voice, tone, words, and body language. Considering you’re introverted, this makes it harder. However, it is the key to telling great stories.
In no way am I insinuating that I should be overly dramatic by jumping on the chairs and raising your voice. You do not need that much theatrics. What you need is a simple movement of your hand and occasional eye contact.
Looking into the eyes of who you’re talking to keeps them listening. It can also make them pretty anxious. They find it difficult to do anything else but listen. And they feel like you’re talking to them. It makes them feel special.
Using hand gestures brings your characters to life and helps build up your drive. Your voice carries the extra emotions people need to feel. When you’re too quiet, they can barely hear you. When you’re too loud, it can be too noisy.
Story telling requires that you change the tone of your voice often. The emotions in your voice is eventually projected on your audience. It makes them feel like they were right there. It helps them feel exactly how you felt.
Storytelling is a personal affair. You want to include how you felt at every given time. They need to know what your thoughts were and how you felt about a certain outcome. Emotions are the backbone to storytelling. What do you want your audience to feel?
Sometimes they are confused on what to feel, so adding how you felt gives them a clear understanding. Do not feel like you are being too personal. Remember you are trying to build an emotional connection with your audience.
4. Use Regular Words
Let me tell you a story of the most annoying book I have ever read. I’ll keep it short and simple. I found this history book and I thought it would be a great read. Plus, I was bored so you can imagine exactly how I was feeling.
It was something to get my mind off the boredom while learning history. But I was so wrong. I opened this book and you wouldn’t believe what I had to deal with. Words I could barely recognize. And I’ll like to think my vocabulary is sufficient enough to read a lot of books.
But this was not the case. I eventually got tired and till today I do not know where that book is. The storyteller lost me because he was more concerned about sounding intelligent. You don’t want to be that guy.
No matter how advanced your vocabulary is, you should use everyday words when telling stories. When writing stories, you can add a few words to teach your audience something new. But nothing too overwhelming.
You should use relatable terms when talking. However, don’t talk to them like you’re talking to people you find less intelligent. That is also a snooze fest.
5. Encourage Their Imagination
What’s a good story without great imagination? There’s no form of storytelling that does not require imagination. Your audience need to imagine certain scenes and emotions. Telling better stories encourages the audience to be imaginative.
You have to remember not to give up every tiny detail. You can even ask them what they think. This can also be a great way to understand your audience so you can tell better stories the next time.
“… and you won’t guess what happened next” is a great way to get them talking. It’s asking a question from the world you already created for them. It is a great way to engage your audience.
It keeps the mood lively and fun. Everyone will enjoy that. Well, at least most people. Always remember that storytelling is equivalent to mind bending.
What Else Can Make You Tell Better Stories?
Practice makes perfect!
At first, if you don’t succeed, try and try again. Storytelling is an art and it is never truly and completely learned. You have to keep trying. You need to learn from your past mistakes. And you’ll make plenty of those.
You might want to give up because you do not see the need. However, remind yourself of how happy you felt when you told a good story.
So, go out there today and practice. Tell better stories.
