“A personality
with a skill for telling stories is like major league pitcher with a 98 mph
fastball. It’s huge!”
Jimmy Baron - The Morning X/Atlanta
In the film, The Sixth
Sense, Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) begins telling Cole Sear (Haley Joel
Osment) a bedtime story:
...Once upon a time
there was a prince,
who was being driven around... He
drove around for a long, long time...
driving and driving... It was a long trip... He fell asleep. When he woke up,
they were still driving... The long drive went on and on...
COLE: Dr. Crowe?
MALCOLM: Yes.
COLE: You haven't told bedtime stories before?
MALCOLM: No.
COLE: You have to add some twists and stuff. Maybe they run out of gas.
As personalities--as people--nearly every day is filled with at least a handful
of stories about what we did the night before, where we ate, the movies we went
to, our trip to the dentist and lots of other relevant events. In our minds,
they’re funny, entertaining, and worth passing on. Unfortunately, like
Malcolm, many of us run out of gas, or need some twists and stuff.
So what exactly are the components of great storytelling? Recently, while preparing
for a speaking engagement in Nashville, I challenged myself to this same question.
Aside from integrating several stories into my own presentation, I also added
the art of storytelling as one of my topics. With help from some of radio’s
best storytellers, along with added thoughts from consultant Randy Lane, I was
able to develop several key components of this art form which I thought would
be of special value to our readers. The elements, in no particular order, are
as follows:
• Stories must have a direct/emotional connection with your audience.
Every story you tell must have a specific link to the lives of your listeners.
So long as there’s a direct connection, even the least likely subjects
can be quite entertaining. Bob Dumas (Bob and Madison/ WDCG-Raleigh) once told
a story of his experience buying his first home. Specifically, the arduous task
of going to closing. As a 25-49yr. old targeted station, he hit a nerve that
kept the phones going for hours. Always establish the connection before telling
the story. The connection is the attention getter.
• Make them visualize it, not just hear it. If you’re old enough
to remember Lyndsey Nelson the famous sportscaster, you’ll easily recall
his extraordinary use of adjectives and metaphors. I remember once during a
rain delay in Chicago, he was so intent on painting a positive picture he began
describing the stadium lights as “...so brilliantly lighting the water-soaked
field.” All of a sudden, it wasn’t a rain delay. It was a postcard.
When telling stories, especially on the radio, it’s important to describe
scenes using colors, numbers, sizes, moods, lighting and even smell. Put the
story in your listeners’ minds, not just their ears.
• Use characterizations, tone-variance and inflection to add personality
and life to each story’s character. Rush Limbaugh has mastered this
art. Often, while repeating or paraphrasing something a person has said or might
say, he becomes that character through his speech and attitude. Whether you
agree with him or not, these characterizations helps add entertainment value
to an otherwise standard report. This same approach should be applied to your
impressions of characters in your stories. The more affected the impersonation,
the better.
• Avoid detours. My Father, God rest his soul, was notorious for
this. He would say “...so I was driving down the road and I get a flat
tire. I had just bought them from Goodyear. Actually, I use to buy tires from
Firestone, but I liked Goodyear’s prices better. Come to think of it, Walmart
has great prices on tires, too..” Are you ever guilty of this? To some
extent, we all are. One thought triggers another and before you know it, we
have to be reminded what we were originally saying. For the listener, it’s
a major turnoff. Your best bet is to stay on track and if you catch yourself
taking a detour, cut it short and return to main highway.
• Delete unnecessary facts and information. Adding colorful details
is one thing, but spending valuable seconds trying to remember if the name of
the sales clerk was Robbie or Bobby... doesn’t matter to a listener unless
the name is germane to the story. Or, if its an extremely hot day, you don’t
need to include the exact temperature. People can sense hot by saying it’s
hot. Remember, unless certain facts are necessary to the story, they can be
tossed. Also, if sharing a childhood story and your facts aren’t perfect,
don’t fret. You’re not on the witness stand. You’re trying to
be entertaining.
• Run your stories by others before going on the air. Like bits,
sometimes they sound great in your head, but once you put them through a mic,
they can take dramatic turns. Run them past a friend over the phone. See how
long it takes. Gauge their response. See if it’s really as funny as you
thought.
• Like most great stories, look for those that feature both protagonist
and antagonist. The basis of every great story involves someone who tries
to do something, and someone who tries to keep them from doing it. If you’re
talking about a trip to traffic court, you’re the protagonist. The judge
or the cop who gave you the ticket is the antagonist. Building your story around
these characters and giving them distinct personalities that your audience can
relate to, will make for more interesting listening. Why you got the ticket,
how much it’s going to cost you, or how you got screwed is just dressing.
When choosing stories, always be aware of these roles.
• Use stories to highlight your most likeable, endearing qualities.
Stories like the one involving going to traffic court and nearly all stories
like it, offer great opportunities for highlighting your most endearing qualities.
Whether it’s self-deprecation or showing sympathy for others, the opportunities
to display these qualities through your stories is far more effective than through
standard means.
• Don’t rush. Pace stories in a way that builds up to the close.
The biggest problem with rushing is the possibility a listener may miss
a key part of the story. Also, it doesn’t allow you to form a natural progression
to the close. It’s like blah, blah, blah... blah, blah, blah and boom,
the ending. It’s much better to pace yourself in a way that lends itself
best to each aspect of the story. We have all complained of movies that lost
our attention either by moving too slow or too quickly. It doesn’t matter
what happens in the end if no one sticks around long enough to hear it.
• Know where your story is headed. On an average day, someone will
bring up a topic and many of us will likely to go into a story that reminds
them of this subject. Outside of the studio, you can get away with however you
wish to tell a story, but inside, it’s different. For this purpose, as
soon as you decide to jump into a story, quickly think of your ending before
you begin. If time permits, jot down a couple of key points as well. By knowing
where you’re going, you’ll be able to shape your story in a more relaxed
and focused way.
• Tell stories that match well with your on-air persona. Did you have a really bad experience at the Mall that features a not so nice you? Want to share it with your listeners? Be cautious. Replaying stories that portray you outside of your on-air persona could spell trouble. Remember, stories paint a picture of you that is often more vivid in a listener’s mind than through regular means. Be safe, be choosy.
• Let your first line set the stage for the rest of the story. Many
comedians, talk hosts such as Leno, Letterman, Jon Stewart and others are masters
of this. When doing a bit they almost always start it with a very quick, to-the-point
opening line: “Did you see where former president Jimmy Carter is going
to Cuba?..” “...I’ll never forget my first Christmas...”
“...Hey, Catholic Priests are in the news again....” This same approach
can be applied to storytelling. Your opening line should quickly put the subject
right on the table: “I’ll never forget my first real girlfriend...”
The worst thing you can do is take forever to get to the point. By the time
you do, it may be too late. Try quick openers. They work.
• Give each story a hook. Ask any songwriter what the trick is to
a good song and they’ll tell you ‘having a great hook. Stories are
no different. Every story must have a part that you’ll remember most. In
Nashville, I shared a story of seeing off my oldest son off to college. If I
asked attendees what they remembered most about that story they would probably
say ‘the call he made to me with his decision to return home and his reason
for doing so’. I purposely paused a few seconds after that revelation to
achieve its full emotional impact. When planning a story be able to pinpoint
a climax. Without one, it’s likely your story will have a diminished retention
value.
• Tell stories that will make people remember you, not just the story.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of stories is getting listeners to remember you.
Instead of what they heard on the radio, it will be what they learned about
you. Hollywood is the master of this. They realized a long time ago that getting
the stars’ stories out, was often more powerful than the movies in which
they appeared. Sharing your life through real stories is an invaluable way for
your audience to get to know you in ways that are both memorable and entertaining.
As with all the previous tips, this too depends on your execution and planning.
The primary components of this skill are applicable to even the most novice
personalities. Obviously, some do it better than others, and some are born storytellers.
In reality, the story itself is what entertains. As the young man suggests in
The Sixth Sense: to be interesting, it’s got to have twists and
stuff. Hopefully, these tips will give you a full supply. •
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