How to develop your storytelling ability

It’s so hot here.

I made my morning coffee.

Went into my office room.

Turned on the AC and get ready to write this email.

The AC unit is not blowing cool air, what is going on?

It’s scorching 33°C (91°F) outside. I can't focus or work in this heat.

Today's productivity is going to take a hit. I won't be able to write this week's newsletter, breaking my streak of writing one every week for the past four months.

This cannot happen. I can’t break the streak, the stake is high as life and death.

I’ve got to do something. My only choice is to summon an AC repair man.

AC guy came, looked at the unit and shook his head.

“What’s wrong?”, I asked

“This brand you have here seems to be very problematic”, he replied.

Uh oh, do I need a new AC now, that’s gonna consume a lot of time, I have to work with the landlord and then the whole logistic of getting and installing the replacement. There goes my precious time and my productivity for the next few days.

The guy checked the AC unit, and said it seems to need a thorough cleaning inside. It appears that dirt is blocking the cold air from coming out.

Phew, looks like I don’t need a new AC.

The dude then spent the next 30 minutes cleaning the unit, he also added some refrigerant to help it run cooler.

It’s been a whole hour, feeling hot and uncomfortable. Then, finally, it was time to see if the AC would work. I pushed the button, it was like magic. Cool air came out, and I instantly felt so much better. I could breathe easier, and the disgusting heat was all gone.

Today is going to be a productive day

I always find it hard to sit down and write about something.
But what I find easy to write is stories. Stories that I heard from others, stories about my daily life.

That’s why I love starting every email with a story.

Growing up, I struggle to excite other people with my storytelling. Every time I tell someone a story, I can see their face drifting into the ether halfway through my story.

That’s why I’ve been on a quest to get better at telling story.

Today, I want to share you what I found useful the other day regarding storytelling.

But before we start, you might wonder why would you want to develop a storytelling skill 🤔 

Trust me, stories are not just for kids.

If you want something to stick in people’s head, you have 2 choices: Music and Story.

I can’t help you with music. But I can help you with story.

Don’t take it from me, look what my man Steve has to say about storytelling.

You know why all Pixar movies are so unforgettable. Storytelling.

Storytelling is massive underrated, and everyone sucks at it. If you just spend a little bit of effort and time to develop this skill, you could be easily sitting at the top 10% of storytelling.

Story is how you move people, and make them to take action.

The framework

1. Every story must have an intention and obstacles.

Remember Finding Nemo?

The intention is to rescue Nemo, and the obstacles are all the things that get in their way to achieve the goal (i.e.: sharks, humans and boats, …)

But that’s not it, we have a finish line to cross, we have obstacles along the way, the last thing we need is: What is there to lose.

2. Stake. What is on the line?

Back to Finding Nemo, Marlin (the dad) lost his wife and all of his offsprings during a barracuda attack. Luckily, he still has Nemo, the only son he has left.

The problem is, he cannot lose Nemo. Nemo is the only family member that Marlin will ever have, Nemo is his everything.

The stake is really high here.

Nemo is on the line (unintentional fish joke, hahahaha) 😂 

This makes the audience cling onto their seat every time Marlin and the blue fish Dory run into any challenges along the way. The audience know this is a life and death situation if they are unable to find Nemo.

Now with your story, it doesn’t have to be life and death, but you have to make it feel like one.

Whatever scenario you’re talking about, there are always things that are the highest stake.

It’s that simple

1. Intention and Obstacles

2. What is at stake? 🥩 

Alright, that’s it for this email.

Go out there and tell your stories.

Justin “enjoying the cool air” Nguyen

p.s: there’s no p.s