I Read 34 Books on Storytelling to Learn These 3 Lessons — Transcript

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1. 0:00over the past three years I've read 34
2. 0:03books on storytelling while reading
3. 0:06these books I realized that there are
4. 0:08three main components that differentiate
5. 0:10an average story from a phenomenal story
6. 0:12to save you hours and hours of reading
7. 0:15all these books I want to share the
8. 0:17three big ideas that I learned from all
9. 0:19these books Let's dive right into it
10. 0:22big idea number one that first idea
11. 0:24comes from Paul Smith the author of sell
12. 0:27with the story for that I quickly want
13. 0:29you to remember the last time you
14. 0:31watched Star Wars but even if you
15. 0:33haven't watched it don't worry you'll
16. 0:34still get it in Star Wars you have the
17. 0:36bad guys right the Stormtroopers and in
18. 0:39every single Star Wars they're just
19. 0:40being slaughtered everywhere everywhere
20. 0:43they're just dying
21. 0:44now for those of you who watched it how
22. 0:47do you feel when Stormtroopers are
23. 0:50killed
24. 0:52I feel nothing right for absolutely
25. 0:54nothing and why is that it's because
26. 0:57their faceless nameless creatures we
27. 0:59don't know anything about we don't care
28. 1:02if they die let me give you an example
29. 1:04if I start my story and say well uh
30. 1:08there was this guy that I used to work
31. 1:09with he got fired
32. 1:12you don't care right why would you
33. 1:14but if I start know my story and I share
34. 1:16well um there was this guy Damien who I
35. 1:20used to work with back in Germany he was
36. 1:22really my favorite co-worker
37. 1:25um he was always just playing games
38. 1:27dressing up everyone in the office just
39. 1:30loved him
40. 1:32now
41. 1:33don't care much more right if you got
42. 1:35fired so big idea number one bring your
43. 1:38characters to life how can you bring
44. 1:40them to life you can describe their
45. 1:41physical characteristics you can
46. 1:43describe their personality traits and
47. 1:44quirks and you can describe their hopes
48. 1:47goals and dreams anything like that will
49. 1:50make the audience care so remember for
50. 1:53your story don't be a storm trooper
51. 1:55while this is important lots of
52. 1:57storytellers already do that the next
53. 2:00big idea that's really the one that
54. 2:02turns any average story into an
55. 2:04incredible story so big idea number two
56. 2:07that big idea comes from the author of
57. 2:10May to stick chip Heath let me share a
58. 2:12tiny but beautiful example that
59. 2:15illustrates that big idea
60. 2:18in 1979 Craig trans was a store
61. 2:21associate at a Nordstrom in Fairbanks
62. 2:23Alaska and on that one day he noticed
63. 2:26something very very odd
64. 2:29there was this guy rolling in his tires
65. 2:33at the entrance
66. 2:35Craig went up and he asked if he could
67. 2:36help and the guy said well yes I would
68. 2:39like to return my tires
69. 2:41Craig said uh sir you know we're a
70. 2:45clothing retailer we don't sell tires
71. 2:48but the man insisted and he said no no
72. 2:50but that's exactly the building where I
73. 2:52bought it in
74. 2:54turned out that he had bought these
75. 2:57tires from the previous tenant that was
76. 2:58before Nordstrom years back
77. 3:01first Craig was a little bit like what
78. 3:04should I do with that guy right but then
79. 3:06he thought
80. 3:07I'm gonna do what feels right
81. 3:10he calls the local tire agency and he
82. 3:13asked them to get an estimate of the
83. 3:15value he then takes the Tyrus and gives
84. 3:18the refund
85. 3:20he gave a refund for a product that
86. 3:23Nordstrom didn't even have
87. 3:26isn't that an incredible story now why
88. 3:29is that such an incredible story
89. 3:31because of one key element surprise that
90. 3:35story had two major moments of surprise
91. 3:37one when that guy rolled in his tires
92. 3:40into that department store when does
93. 3:42that ever happen and second when Craig
94. 3:44decided to give a refund for a product
95. 3:46that they didn't even have major
96. 3:48surprise now we as humans we are great
97. 3:52at spotting patterns when we recognize
98. 3:55something as predictable we tune out
99. 3:57when you share your story and your
100. 4:00listeners know more or less where this
101. 4:02is going they can predict it they will
102. 4:04tune out they'll rather think what
103. 4:06they're going to have for dinner then
104. 4:08listen to your story now how can you
105. 4:10prevent that how can you get people to
106. 4:12pay attention and also how to keep that
107. 4:14attention
108. 4:15big idea number two bring in surprise
109. 4:18surprise refers to anything that is
110. 4:21unexpected anything that your listeners
111. 4:24didn't see coming that can be an unusual
112. 4:26activity an unusual event an unusual
113. 4:29reaction anything that breaks that
114. 4:31pattern of what is expected but sure
115. 4:34sometimes we may not have this major
116. 4:36surprise moment if that's the case you
117. 4:39definitely want to make sure to include
118. 4:40the next one so big idea number three
119. 4:43that big idea comes from how to tell a
120. 4:46story from the producers of the moth now
121. 4:49most of the stories that we hear are
122. 4:51usually party or holiday stories when I
123. 4:54was younger these were the only stories
124. 4:56I taught man you won't believe what just
125. 4:58happened I played beer pong the entire
126. 5:01and I just got so [ __ ] up I know what
127. 5:04a disgusting person right
128. 5:07anyway while these type of stories can
129. 5:10be entertaining they don't leave a
130. 5:11lasting impression why is that because
131. 5:14they don't have an element of change in
132. 5:17average Stories the characters stay more
133. 5:19or less at the same level let's say they
134. 5:21start off happy then crazy stuff happens
135. 5:24and then they're still happy nothing
136. 5:26changes in the best stories the
137. 5:29character starts off as one version but
138. 5:31then turns out as a completely new
139. 5:33version at the end let me give you an
140. 5:36example with the movie Avatar
141. 5:39um at the beginning of the movie Avatar
142. 5:40Jack Sally who's this disabled Marine
143. 5:43feels lost and just looks for meaning in
144. 5:45his life right but then he changes into
145. 5:48that brave leader who loves and protects
146. 5:51Pandora's nature
147. 5:53I should challenge you you can take any
148. 5:56movie or any great story and look for
149. 5:59the transformation of that character
150. 6:01I'll guarantee every single decently
151. 6:04successful movie has a major
152. 6:06transformation
153. 6:08big idea number three show the change
154. 6:11for your story if you were let's say out
155. 6:14of shape at the beginning of your story
156. 6:15now you're running a marathon if you
157. 6:19hated your sister now you're best
158. 6:21friends or if you were terrified of
159. 6:22public speaking now you love being on
160. 6:25stage
161. 6:26show the change any great story must
162. 6:29have an element of change how the
163. 6:30character transforms no exceptions these
164. 6:35are the three big ideas but one question
165. 6:37that I get asked every single time is
166. 6:39what books do you recommend what I'll do
167. 6:42is I'll link a video to the five books
168. 6:45that I recommend so go ahead check out
169. 6:47that video and I'll see you in there
170. 6:49ciao
171. 6:52foreign
172. 6:53[Music]