Wakingstar Blog
Matching Story With Meaning
As you tell your story, a few people in the audience might have a question in their head that they’re not asking. The question is this: “Why are you telling me his?” Maybe they’re just excited to get the upshot. Or maybe they’re impatient, or even skeptical you’re taking them somewhere worth going. Don’t worry.…
Read MoreOne Small (Lifelong) Lesson My Mom Taught Me
My mind was being blown. I was 23, graduated college, sold my first business, and had dedicated myself to traveling for as long as I could. New languages, new places, new people; every day seemed to be a new revelation. On a short stint home after returning home from Southeast Asia, I was staying with…
Read MoreThoughts on the Shape of Stories
You may not have climbed K2 yesterday, or sold your company, or cured malaria. But well-told, your experiences make an impact on your audience. “The shape of the stories are what matters, and not their origins,” said Kurt Vonnegut in a lecture at Wittenberg University in 1982. Drawing on the chalkboard, he wrote GF for…
Read More9 Reasons I’ll Be Looking for Stories in Marrakesh
Long ago, before I was a storyteller, I was, quite simply, a traveler. Instead of doing my work in board rooms and conference halls, the my theater was the road. I lived to travel, I worked to travel, and every day I sought to see the world and its gems. In earnest this lasted for a…
Read MoreHow Good Stories Come From Bad Judgment (on Linkedin)
Nasrudin is known as much for his wisdom as his foolishness, and many are those who have sought out his teaching. One devotee tracked him down for many years before finding him in the marketplace sitting atop a pile of banana peels–no one knows why. “Oh great sage, Nasrudin,” said the eager student. “I must…
Read More15 Ready-Made Storytelling Techniques for Leaders
You can always find better ways to deliver your key insights to your audiences. And sometimes, our best techniques emerge at the least expected times. Recently at a party, I was taking with a friend who is a mom as well as a prominent psychologist. “Jay!” she said, “I’ve been working on my story skills!”…
Read MoreHow Your Journey Forms Your Brand Story (On Linkedin)
While we spend our moments on social media, we spend our lunches, our dinners, and our deepest connections exploring something much older and much deeper: the original social media, the stories that live on in our hearts and minds. We experience stories not with our brains alone, but with our bodies. We touch, we feel,…
Read MoreHow J.R. Ewing Won the Cold War
After the fall of communism, Larry Hagman, who had played J.R. Ewing in the 1980’s global mega hit “Dallas,” was on vacation in Romania, walking through Bucharest. A man came up to him with tears in his eyes and said, “J.R. Ewing! Thank you so much for saving Romania.” Saving Romania? That’s weird, he thought.…
Read MoreThe Art of the Turnaround Story (Video)
A Turnaround Story is, a story about facing great challenges, and finding insights and power at the depth of difficulty. Through these insights, they were able to rise out of the challenge, to the other side, with new strength and a abilities to face the world. Key pieces of a Turnaround Story: 1. Things were…
Read MoreHow to Build Culture Through Storytelling
One brisk fall day 20 years ago, I shuffled into the great marble halls of the Accademia in Florence to see Michelangelo’s David. I had seen the postcards and posters and projections so many times, and from so many angles, I felt as if in some way I had already been there. As I approached…
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