WHAT STORY SLAMS CAN TEACH YOU ABOUT BUSINESS COPY I: Start Strong
While I was frittering away some time on social media one day, I noticed that an artist whose work I follow had recently done a TED talk. I clicked, eager to see her in living color, talking about her work.
But about halfway through I realized that the presentation was a stretch for her. She's comfortable in her medium, but being on stage in front of a live audience, telling stories, she was a little stiff.
It makes sense. She's a great visual artist, but not a natural storyteller yet. That goes for all of us.
Being good at one thing doesn't mean you're a natural at everything.
What makes for good storytelling? When we listen to TED talks or a story on a podcast like The Moth, what keeps us from clicking away to the next video in the queue?
What makes us listen and keep listening? Why do certain speakers—or certain stories—capture our attention while others leave our minds to wander?
Let's explore some of that by looking at a popular form of storytelling: The story slam.
How you start matters
Performers know their best shot for engaging the audience happens the moment they begin speaking. It has to start with some zing.
The first rule is to begin in the middle of the action. No one wants to hear an A-B-C story, one that progresses from beginning to end in chronological order. We're wired for anecdotes.
Once you've zeroed in on a story-starting moment, it's time to shape the sentence. How do you come up with creative language?
First, by being specific.
Don't write "tree," write "spruce." Don't say you "went," say you "climbed." Instead of starting a blog post by reporting that you found a new line of turquoise jewelry that's now in stock, talk about the compliment you got on one of the rings when you were out for drinks one night with a friend.
Vibrant language helps the audience—your list, your customers—connect to a moment.
In-person storytellers are able to connect with listeners with a warm glance. Without a visual connection to work with, you need to make your first line as warm and inviting as you can, while still being specific about the topic you're covering. Do it by painting a picture.
It doesn't have to be fancy. At the top of this story, I said I was "frittering away some time on social media." That's not unusual or particularly creative language. It's cliche, even. But it showed you what I was doing and set the stage for what was going to happen next.
It may take some practice to think like a storyteller for your business writing, but the more you're able to create vivid moments right from the start, the more you'll keep them reading.