Part II: Components of Storytelling
Here is now the "Part II" of the storytelling.
And now that you are all excited to start using storytelling and understand why it is so powerful we are going to work on constructing your very own epics!
As a recap in “Part I” we studied about why storytelling is important and how it can improve your game immensely.
In "Part I" there were two things I asked of you
One was to make a list of 7-10 moments in your life worth sharing, and the other was to write down 5 things about your identity that you want people to know about you.
We are going to start out working with these things.
First lets take out the 7-10 story ideas and select 5 solid ideas from it, cross off ones that you think may not seem to interesting to other people or ones that were "you kind of had to be there" stories.
Now reflect on that 5 solid ideas and then just focus on constructing 3 solid stories so you can go out and start using them immediately in your story. Consider those that you feel the most interested in sharing with other people and which ones do you think could captivate and relate to your audience.
For now, your main motive with these stories are girls, so focus on which ones you think a girl more interested in hearing. (Any girls can become interested in any story if delivered properly, but if you have a good story about you watching dirty videos and eating pizza, it may be better left for the guys)
Also feel free to ask your friends about which story topic they would be more interested in hearing to help narrow it down to 3 solid concepts.
And I'm sure there were still some of you out there that were to modest to come up with 10 ideas and only got around three, so I guess that makes your job easier.
As I said I would do this exercise along with you, however, taking all 3 of my stories will take too long so we are just going to use one of my story topic and build it from the ground up through the techniques I show you.
Now I am going to give you all the information on storytelling that I know and jot this story down from scratch (This actually happened to me the other day, so I figure this is a good example)
"So the other day me and my friends were at the club voodoo and I am going around making some new friends and having a good time. Well this one guy somehow works his way into my group but then ends up not leaving us alone all night, and he was a really annoying person that you just don't want to talk to. He kept making every interaction in the club awkward and would not leave until he actually gets a hint and goes home."
Okay, pretty annoying story...I know, but we can turn this into something interesting.
First we need to understand the 3 components of a good story.
The first component, is "The Hook Question"
Hook question is the line you deliver to introduce your story and is used to captivate the group. The object of this is to make sure everyone in the group you are telling the story gets involved.
When using the hook question make sure you have the attention of EVERYONE in the group before you start going into the story, if one person is not paying attention and they tune in halfway through your story, they are going to have no idea what is going and potentially pull the entire group away.
Make eye contact and get a response or at least a nod from every member of the group before beginning your story.
There are two different types of hook questions.
An open ended hook question and a yes or no hook question.
I feel open ended hook question are better because it gets your audience more involved with the story you are about to tell, but a yes or no one is good cause it gets you right into the story.
An example of open ended hook question would be "How do you deal with people who you just want to leave you alone?"
And an example for the yes or no hook question would be "Have you ever been to club voodoo?"
So let's add a hook questions to the story... (Find a hook question for your example stories as well)
For my story I will use open ended hook questions. So in the interaction I would say:
Me: "Hey guys...how do you deal with people when you just can't get them to leave you alone?!"
Group: "blah blah"
Me: "Yeah that's interesting so check this out...the other day I am at club voodoo...(rest of story)
Now that you have the hook question down, we will the component that will demonstrate aspects of identity.
So the next step is to demonstrate personality.
There are a number of ways of doing this but for now lets go to our list of 5 things that you want to convey in your identity. Try to fit as many into the story as you can.
My 5 things were:
I am interested in video and photography
I have a good sense of humor
I am a musician
I am a very social person
I have a high and fun energy
Now try to at least fit 3 of your 5 things into the story, but if its awkward and seems out of place then just get at least 1 or 2 in. You need one though, but the very manner you deliver the story may display a lot about yourself.
Other ways to demonstrates personality is to act out your characters. Bring your stories into life.
Another important aspect to display personality in your stories is by speeding up your voice during moments of excitement and slowing it down during intense moments to create tension.
You should always know how to build up tension to bring excitement or your audience will have a feeling of lack of resolution but that is the last component of a story that I will get into shortly.
Speeding up, pauses, and slowing down your voice is hard for me to sow you through a newsletter, but when you recite your stories out loud you will gain a natural since of where each belongs and will improve through reactions with your audience.
So now I am going to rewrite my story as it stands to demonstrates my personality...
Me: "Hey guys...how do you deal with people when you just caaaaannt (exaggerated can't to show frustration with the situation and convey more personality) get them to leave you alone?!"
Group: "blah blah"
Me: "Yeah that's interesting so check this out...the other day I am at club voodoo and I walk in with a group of my friends and random people we met on the way (social) and there is a decent amount of people in the club, we are all having a great time (fun) and meeting lots of cool new people (social).
Well this one guy somehow works his into my "group" (putting finger quotes around it) and he just has this vibe. Like he is so out of place, he was walking around with a Harley Davison Motorcycle hat on and like this tainted banana colored polo (Painting this scene gets them laughing and displays humor and some understand of social norms and fashion.)
So my friends and I keep trying to away from him but he just won't back down, he would just follow us everywhere we went, buzzing around like a mosquito..(pause)..with a really bad taste in clothing (humor)...you would think he could get the hint when we were practically jogging away (act out slight jogging motion).
Eventually he finally goes away and we start to have a fun night again.
And as you notice just kind of ended with no resolution.
So lets take the last component of story. The punch line.
A punch line is often used for humor and ties up the story. Its biggest importance is to let the audience know it's over. It can be one line or much more...
To deliver the punch line successfully to your story, you need to create a dramatic build up by slowing down your words and then once the comic relief or resolution comes, you speed the conversation back up.
The punch line can be a small extension of the story to bring further resolution to the issue. This is where you can get creative and give some lamer stories a much cooler ending.
The actual ending to my story involves the creepy guy going into the bathroom, some guy that was annoyed by him jokingly bumping into him while the creepy was using the urinal, and the creepy guy pissed on the front of his pants, got embarrassed and left.
Now, first off, it was kind of rude on that one guy's part and I don't want to associate myself with friends like that. Also...a guy pissing on himself is an odd thing to share during the initial interaction.
So I am going to do a little story morphing by combining a similar, less gross incident that happened that night.
Nothing wrong with changing up some incidents if it makes things more entertaining...after all...it's a "STORY"
So the updated version of the story with the new punch line goes like this:
Me: "Hey guys...how do you deal with people when you just caaaaannt get them to leave you alone?!"
Group: "blah blah"
Me: "Yeah that's interesting so check this out...the other day I am at Club Voodoo and I walk in with a group of my friends and random people we met on the way and there is a decent amount of people in the club, we are all having a great time and meeting lots of cool new people. Well this one guy somehow works his into my "group" and he just has this vibe. Like he is so out of place, he was walking around with a Harley Davison Motorcycle hat on and like this tainted banana colored polo. So my friends and I keep trying to avoid him but he just won't back down, he would just follow us everywhere we went, buzzing around like a mosquito...with a really bad taste in clothing...you would think he could get the hint when we were practically jogging away. Anyway...my friends and I get away from him and are on the top floor and we make a super tall pyramid out of energy drink cans. (Illustrate structure with arms). Then all of a sudden, the creepy guy weasels his way onto the floor and sits down at our table...and like a jackass he tries to add a can to the structure. (Start slowing things down for the punch line) Little did he know...that although the Red Bull on the top of the structure was opened...it was full...so this guy tries to add his can to the top then BAM!...................the whole structure falls right into his lap and the filled soda can pours all over his crotch! It looked like he wet his pants! His face turns beat red and he just runs downstairs and we assume he left the club cause we didn't see him again...I don't know what the big deal is...I thought it was hilarious! (Final punch line, they know the story is over)
Having done these three steps to your stories is a great way to get great stuff on your hands. But there is still to add to sprinkle your story and I'm pretty sure you are going to want to your story someday.
The is creating check in points.
Check in points are mini questions you throw into your story throughout to make sure you have the audiences full attention. It gets them more involved.
Examples are "That ever happen to you?" "Don't you hate when that happens?" "You know what I mean?"
Just make sure they sounds not obvious or like you are taking time out for them to go into detail about your check in point question.
Another good way is to compare aspects of your story to the current situation you are in. ex. "Kind of like that over there" "Reminds me of her (point to person)."
You should at least have two check in points near the start and in the middle. If you are doing everything right, your audience will be captivated and waiting for the build up of the punch line so you won't need one near the end.
If you start to see someone looking away, throw one out to regain focus.
An example in a passage of my story would be:
"Like he is so out of place, he was walking around with a Harley Davison Motorcycle hat on and like this tainted banana colored polo. You know when someone is clearly just lost and not sure what he or she is doing....kind of like that guy over there (point to someone similar)."
So that's it... and watch for the another newsletter.
Part III of Story Telling Techniques
This technique really helps paint the picture and get your audience more interested in your story. It ties back into displaying your personality and bringing your characters to life.
Example for this would be like "My friend and I were walking over there like this... (lock arm in arm)."
Arm and arm there is the touch. If you are using something like that as an example, you would only do it for that short instance, not tell the rest of the story arm and arm. And remember to only hold whatever touch you are displaying for the appropriate part of the story.
Continue telling your story while initiating the touch, and not looking at where you are touching or pausing and waiting for any form of reaction. The point there is for you not making things look obvious.
An example I would use in my story is when describing his weirdness would be "I would be talking with some of my friends and he would come up from behind me, stick his arm around me like this (put arm on girls shoulder and pull her in, give her a little shake, showing exactly what he did to me).
Another fun thing to sprinkle into your stories is subtle hints that raise your desirability. These include mentioning other women in your life, having special social privileges, being the leader of your group, and doing things that make you stand out.
I do this often mentioning other women in my stories. You can do this by changing the word "friend" to "girlfriend" or name dropping by saying "my friends Lisa and Sarah" anything along those lines.
Now these seems not needed but in some cases can add a special flare to your stories. They are just minor details and should never be the focus of your story. But can very tasteful ways to brag in your stories... without actually bragging.
To make them theme authentic, do not provide an explanation for them. If part of your story involves you hooking up with multiple people, don't provide an explanation for it, instead just keep talking, it comes off as a perfectly natural thing that is no big deal.
Once you have thrown in all these fun storytelling tactics it time to give it the once over.
Eliminate all unnecessary content and make sure your story is moving along and does not drag out. That is the biggest problem people make, they drag their stories out too long about things that don't affect the overall story. Be sure to eliminate redundancies.
A masterful storyteller could captivate the audience for 20 minutes. But for now,aim and focus on getting 2-3 solid minutes of your audiences attention.
How much you share all depends on how your storytelling skills develop.
Remember to look for clues of people fading out so you know when to speed things up and get to the punch line.
Always keep an eye contact to your audience, this will help hold their attention.
If we look back at the original example of...
"So the other day I am at club voodoo with my friends and I am going around making some new friends and having a good time. Well this one guy somehow works his way into my group but then ends up not leaving us alone all night, and he was a really annoying person that you just don't want to talk to. He kept making every interaction in the club awkward and would not leave until he actually gets a hint and goes home."
By applying all the techniques that we had learned, we can change this dramatically.
So here is the FINAL revised version of my story:
Me: "Hey guys...how do you deal with people when you just caaaaannt get them to leave you alone?!"
Group: "blah blah"
Me: "Yeah that's interesting so check this out...the other day I am at Club Voodoo, you ever been? (Check in point)...Cool, anyway I walk in with a group of my friend Lisa and some friends she brought along. There is a decent amount of people in the club, we are all having a great time and meeting lots of cool new people.
Well this one guy somehow works his into my "group" and he just has this annoying vibe. Like he is so out of place, he was walking around with a Harley Davison Motorcycle hat on and like this tainted banana colored polo. You know when someone just clearly does not belong and seems out of place... kind of like that guy (Put arm on person from audiences shoulder and point to someone else outside the audience)
So me and my friends keep trying to avoid him but he just won't back down, he would just follow us everywhere we went, buzzing around like a mosquito...with a really bad taste in clothing...like you have no idea how bad it was, I would be talking to some of Lisa's friends and he would come up, stick his head between us and wrap us both in his arms and give us a little shake like this...(Do exactly what he did on them) And the worst part is he had this nasty...thick breath....oh it was terrible.
(Random Story Telling Tip: Appeal to the senses, especially the smell, it is the least addressed and most memorable.) Anyway... my friends and I try to get away by going to the VIP floor and we have been drinking the free energy drinks all night and made a super tall pyramid out of cans. (Illustrate structure with arms).
Then all of a sudden, the creepy guy weasels his way onto the floor and sits down at our table... and like a jackass he tries to add a can to the structure. (Start slowing things down for the punch line)
Little did he know... that although the Red Bull on the top of the structure was opened... it was full... so this guy tries to add his can to the top then BAM!...................the whole structure falls right into his lap and the filled soda can pours all over his crotch!
(Create dramatic spill scene around your crotch, getting the girl to look there, although sneaky, creates lots of subtle sensual messages)
It looked like he wet his pants!
His face turns beat red and he just runs downstairs and we assume he left the club cause we didn't see him again... I don't know what the big deal is...I thought it was hilarious!
(Share a good laugh with your audience, initiate more touch if you so please, initiating touch during laughter is very powerful)
Before I end my newsletter, I'll be leaving you with some advanced story telling tips.:
- Start your stories at the end. If you ever saw the movie Fight Club you will notice how you are caught up into the story right from the beginning because you are curious to see how Edward Norton's character got himself in such a dangerous situation. You can start your story at the end then build up to really captivate your audience.
-If you are telling the same story, increase vocabulary in it, use powerful verbs and adjectives to bring the story to life.
-Always be painting a picture, appeal to all the senses when possible.
-The more emotion you put into a story the better, the more emotion you show in a story, the more mistakes you can make because your emotion and commitment to the story covers all that up.
-Avoid pauses like "ummmm and ugghhh" everyone has a bad habit when they stumble in there stories.
-Do not memorize your stories. You don't want to sound like you are reading from a script, you want it to seem natural. It is possible to be too good at telling your stories and then it is almost like the listener is watching a scripted play. Just understand the concepts and events of your story, there should always be some slight differences when you tell your story. Practice telling it...but don't become a scripted narrator.
-Lastly and most important is....
Do not tell your stories AT your audience...tell your stories TO your audience.
Make sure your audience get involved in your story and as you are telling your story, keep your eyes open for cues in the interaction you do not always have time to look for.
Use these cues to find what points of your stories get certain reactions, and use them to move the story along. You pick up on different things if you are telling a story you know well, this is another way storytelling continues to improve your game