The Memorable and the Meh: A contrast in storytelling

Italy was perfect. We had delicious food and wine, practiced our college Italian and went on several tours. 

The memorable tour? The Roman Colosseum. Our group gathers under shade, overlooking the arena. Paolo, our tour guide, chooses Chris to act as the emperor. Dave, a newlywed from St. Louis becomes a gladiator and the rest of our group are cast as the Roman spectators. Paolo “wins” the “fight,” plastic sword held high, Dave on his knees. We as spectators cheer whether Emperor Chris should save his life. (He does.)

As we watch the action, we learn about the times. We live a day at the Colosseum, rather than hearing about what year it was built, what materials were used, where the materials came from, etc. He includes a few of these facts between more colorful details and the frequent reminder that we are not there to judge history, but to learn from it.  

What does this have to do with you, you ask?

By contrast, another guide, Leonardo, gave us a church tour that was a laundry list of disconnected dates, frescoes and artists. There was no story to latch onto. After venting to my husband about how boring Leonardo’s tour was compared to Paolo’s, he said “That sounds like a newsletter article.” 

Even on vacation, I can’t stop thinking about how people share information and stories, and what differentiates the memorable from the meh. 

How can you be more interesting and hold people’s interest? 

  • Start in the middle of the action. (Read more below.) 

  • Avoid irrelevant details. 

  • Speak in present tense with the listener in mind. 

  • Invite the listener into the picture. 

  • Use dialogue at times, to add dynamics. 

  • Add colorful language. Exaggerate to give the story flair.

  • One great example is better than multiple examples every time.

More on storytelling in an article called Start right before you get eaten by the bear. Check it out here.

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