The storyworthy Learning Zone

While speaking to business leaders in Victoria, Canada, I told a seven-minute story about a spoon. I used the story to illustrate several points and highlight strategies that I frequently use in...

A simple but important thought:

Keep things simple. Assume nothing.

My friend is preparing to tell a story in which one of her friends experiences an ectopic pregnancy. I’ve heard of this...

Travel should never simply be travel.

So often I hear a storyteller say:

“So I get into the car and drive the 12 miles to Joan’s house. When I arrive, I walk up to the door and ring the...

In medias res: (Latin) the practice of beginning an epic or other narrative by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous...

You can establish characters and setting or you can establish wonder, suspense, intrigue, and/or humor.

What do you think is better?

So often I hear storytellers begin their stories with...

Taking a lesson from my friend, Bengi, I spent this week going through old photos and finding some new stories.

Ever since Bengi has begun digitizing and sending me photos from our teenage days...

I was listening to a very well told story last week about a woman struggling with infertility. It was heartfelt, humorous, cleverly constructed, and well framed.

Outstanding in every way except...

The best gift that I received, and the one that can teach us all something important was this:

A can of my favorite beverage - Diet Coke - encased in jello.

The best thing about this gift:

It...

In working with a storyteller, he said, “I figured it wasn’t going to work out, and all my effort had been wasted.”

See the problem?

“I figured…” is a subtle...

A simple but effective tip for you:

When appropriate, include the season in your story. I LOVE words that come affixed to a kabillion adjectives because I don’t love adjectives in general.

In...

I had just settled into my seat, preparing for the second leg of my flight from Hartford to Victoria, British Columbia, when the pilot emerged from the cockpit and introduced himself to us. He told...

I have been listening to many commencement addresses over the past two weeks, and I've been a listener of commencement addresses for a long time.

NPR's The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever, with...