The ONLY 3 Ingredients You Need To Be A Better Storyteller!

        There are only three ingredients you need to be a great storyteller. Nice editing, Peter. A lot of the times people over complicate storytelling. They think that you need a wild once in a lifetime experience or that you have to be naturally charismatic. You don't. You just need three simple ingredients to be more memorable and more influential. And research backs this up. In a Stanford study, students who turned facts into a story remembered 93% of the facts later. But those who didn't, they only remembered 13%. That's the power of storytelling. In this video, I'm going to tell you the three reasons why people avoid storytelling. My three most valuable ingredients that make storytelling easy. And this is exactly what I've been teaching my students in my workshops for over a decade. And finally, I'm going to break down for you when storytelling works best and when it actually gets in the way. Let's start with the three biggest misconceptions that people have. Starting with number one. You need crazy life experiences to tell good stories. Vin, my life just isn't that interesting. You see, that's where you're wrong. You think stories are about events, not meaning. If you haven't climbed the mountain and survived a disaster or lived through movie moments, you tend to assume you've got nothing to share. And as a result, you don't even attempt to tell stories. So you miss the opportunities to connect through everyday moments which are far more relatable than the grand adventures. And the irony is what makes a story powerful isn't what happened. It's the perspective you bring and the way you frame it. Let me give you an example. Yeah, I've got a bit of a confession to make. I've been a pretty bad dog owner lately since the kids have come along. My fur kids have been neglected to the max. Thankfully, my dogs, Link and Zelda, they forgive so easily, and sometimes I think they're more patient than human beings. We don't really deserve dogs, do we? So, I made a decision, right? I need to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to walk them to play fetch with their favorite bright orange ball. And I wrote a big number four on the orange ball as a public commitment to my wife and my kids that I was going to wake up at 4:00 a.m. to take them out every morning. And I know it sounds silly, but I have to do things like that to keep me motivated. And yes, I know that 4:00 a.m. is really early in the morning, too. But with two kids, that's the only time I've got. And at that hour, it's beautiful. The streets are completely deserted. There are no cars. The only light you see is the glow from the street lights bouncing off the damp road. The air is super cold and crispy. The only thing you can smell is the wet grass. And I love that smell. It's dead quiet. And the only sound that I hear is their collars jingling. And after just a few weeks of this routine, I realized something really unexpected. I thought the walk and the fetch was for the dogs. Turned out I needed the walk more than they did. My head feels clearer. My feet feel more grounded. And I've started to notice things I've haven't noticed in a decade. And the reason I'm telling you this story is because sometimes the things that we do out of responsibility end up being the things we needed for our own soul. This story wasn't about me climbing Mount Everest. It wasn't even about me making a million dollars per month. It was about me walking my dogs and thinking it was for them, but then realizing that the dogs were walking me and that I was the one who needed the walk. If only they would pick up my poo instead of me picking up theirs. What made this story valuable was the perspective that I shared, not the story itself. Are you starting to shift the way you think about storytelling? Now >> the second misconception, stories are just fluff. Facts and data are what matter. The reason you think this is because in business, in university, and even in family life, we're conditioned to be rational. Stick to the facts, Vin. But when you default to only facts, you lose the emotional stickiness that makes ideas memorable. People nod along politely, but they forget what you've said 5 minutes later. Without stories, your ideas fail to spread. And ironically, the fluff you've avoided your entire life, that's the glue that would have made the facts persuasive and memorable. I want you to think about this right at the start of the video, I gave you two statistics about storytelling. Do you remember what they are? I mean, do you tell me? Tell me right now. What are they? It's very unlikely you remember them. Now, how about my story about my dogs? What color was their favorite ball? You know the color, don't you? What was the number that I wrote on the ball? And why did I write the number there? Did you notice how you remembered every single detail about the story? You see, that's the power of storytelling. It's not fluff. It's one of the most memorable and influential communication devices we have access to. Were you surprised by that experience? Storytelling is just one of the most powerful tools when it comes to communication, and most people don't take the time to learn these. and I teach more foundational communication lessons in a free three-part video series that I've recorded. In this series, you're going to learn how to become more conscious of the behaviors that rob you of credibility and rob you of clarity so you can unlock your potential in your career and in your relationships. And if you want access to that, just click the link below in the description. The third misconception, storytelling is only for charismatic extroverts. You're either born a storyteller or you're not. Why are you talking like that, Vin? It sounds ridiculous. This is my YouTube video. I do what I want. If you're introverted or quiet, you will think to yourself, "That's just not me." And as a result of this, you never practice. So then you never improve. And then you rob yourself of the chance to discover how powerful storytelling is as a craft. And also discover that it's a learnable craft. The biggest misconception is thinking extrovert equals good storyteller. When in reality, some of the best storytellers, they're quiet. that people who've learned to use structure and timing rather than sheer energy and bravado. Those who purely rely on that sometimes can be alert. >> So I think we really do need to let them go. >> Guys, guys, guys, stop the meeting now. I have to tell you a story. This morning I left the house, thought it was going to rain, brought my umbrella, but then it didn't rain, so I carried my umbrella the whole day. Classic, right? Yes, it's classic. Yeah, >> sorry, that's nauseating. Just vomit in the back of my throat watching that. Awful. Let's dive into the three ingredients on how to be a great storyteller. Number one, be specific. You've probably heard people say, "Be specific when you tell a story." But what does that actually mean? Well, let me show you. Most people think being general makes you more relatable. They say, "Oh, I was nervous before a meeting." Okay, we've all been nervous before, but that doesn't stick. Now, listen to this. Oh, my palms were so sweaty and and the paper in my hands started to wrinkle from the shaking. Did you see, hear, feel, notice the difference? You're not just hearing about the nerves, you're feeling it. The detail makes it real. So, here's the rule of thumb. When you're telling your story, use the five senses framework. Ask yourself, what did I see? What did I hear, smell, taste, touch, or adding a sixth, a bonus? We keep the bonus locked in the safe. So, Dan, if we could get the secret out of the safe, please. Thank you very much. Thank you. The sixth one is emotion. And yes, he's been in there for about 4 days. Let me give you some quick examples. sight. I walked into the interview room and it's three people sitting in a row, all in dark suits, staring at me like I'm about to go on trial. Sound. The only thing I can hear is the clicking of someone's pen. It feels louder than my own heartbeat. Smell. There's a strong smell of coffee in the room. It's kind of like been sitting in a pot for way too long. Taste. My mouth was so dry. It felt like I've been chewing on cardboard. Touch. My hands started to feel so clammy. And then my collar felt like it was shrinking. And finally, emotion. And before they even asked me the first question, I felt this wave of panic overcoming me. And it was like my body was screaming, "You don't belong here." Each sense adds a brush stroke to your story. Together, they turn into a painting. people can step into and experience. And here's the science. Specific details activate the listener's mirror neurons. And this means their brain doesn't just process your words, it simulates the experience. So if you describe the strong smell of coffee, the audience brains light up as if they're smelling it. That's why stories with detail stick. They bypass the logic and hit the experience. When you don't storytell, this is what happens. You'll tell the story, people aren't engaged, and at the end, what do you say? You go, "No, no, you you had to have been there. You had to have been there. You had to have been there." That's what bad storytellers say. With this next skill, you take them there. Number two, reporting versus reliving a story. Most people think they're actually telling and reliving stories, but in actual reality, they're reporting stories. And there's a huge difference. Reporting is information. Reliving is transformation. Let me show you. Last night I walked on stage. I was nervous. Then I gave my talk. Yeah, it's true. It's accurate, but it's also flat. You're basically giving people the Wikipedia version of your life. Now, let me give you the version where I relive the exact same story. I step onto the stage and the spotlights are so bright I can't even see the front row. I was so nervous. My hands were shaking so hard the notes were rattling like crazy. And the imposter syndrome in my head was saying, "You don't belong in this room, Vin, with all these amazing people." And every single face in the audience, they're staring right back at me. Even though I was nervous, I still delivered my talk scared. Do you feel the difference? You're not just hearing what happened. You're in it with me. You can see it, hear it, and you can feel it yourself. You almost heard the paper rattling, didn't you? When you relive a story, something happens in your body. Your voice changes, your face changes, even your gestures. They shift. Why? Because you're reliving it yourself as you tell the story. And the audience doesn't just understand what you went through, they actually experience it. That's the magic. Reporting informs. Reliving makes them feel like they lived it with you. So, how do you get better at this? Let me share with you three quick tips. First, use the five senses or six senses. Like I spoke about before, what did you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch and feel in that moment. One vivid detail is all you need. Second, change your tense. Don't say, "I was standing there nervous." Instead, say, "I'm standing there. My palms are sweating. My chest is tight." Using present tense in your stories is how you relive it. Third, let your body join in on the story. If your hands are shaking, shake your hands. Let it actually shake while you're telling the story. Now, I know what you're thinking. I can relive the story. I can share all the specific details of a story, but why would anybody care? It's because you need the final ingredient, which is number three. Share the meaning of the story. Now, here's the part that most people miss. A story isn't powerful just because you relive it. It's powerful because of the meaning you share after it. Life really is like a dance. >> Oh my god, Jessica. Jessica, I got to tell you something. This morning, I thought it was going to rain, so I brought an umbrella. It didn't rain, so I carried an umbrella the whole day for no reason. So, why are you telling me this? >> Cuz it's funny. >> Terrible storyteller, right? But damn, he's got one hell of a jawline. The meaning is what makes the story useful. It's what transforms your story into a gift for the audience who's listening. Without it, you're just telling campfire tales. With it, you're now teaching, inspiring, and shifting someone's perspective. Here's how I think about it. The story is the doorway, but the meaning is what you lead people into once they've walked through the door. When you say the magical words, the reason I'm telling you this is because that's the moment your audience connects the dots and understands why the story relates to them. And right there and then is the most important part, relevance. The most important part of storytelling is the meaning. You guys want to give it a go? >> Yeah, sure. My I guess my story is on stage fright and I suppose the meaning is about being courageous. Is that right, >> Dan? That's that's more than right. That's beautiful. >> My story is about being locked in a safe for 4 days. And I think the meaning is that I'm very lucky to have a boss like Vin. Is that right? >> It's more than right, Peter. That's actually the correct answer. All right. All right. So, my story about carrying an umbrella around all day. The meaning of that is I don't think anybody in the office likes me. I don't think anybody listens to me when I storytell. I don't have any friends. What? Let me add an extra lesson here. The link you make from the story to the lesson, it needs to make sense. This is why the best storytellers, they don't stop after the end of the story, after the punch line. They deliver the punch line, then they deliver the point, then they deliver the relevance, the lesson. Because your audience doesn't just want to know what happened to you. They want to know, well, what does it mean for them? That's how stories stick. They remember how it applies to their own lives. And that association is what makes it extremely memorable. And the final part, when storytelling works best and when it actually gets in the way. Here's a simple rule that I follow. If I've got 15 minutes or more with you and I want to be memorable and influential, I'm sharing a story. Let me give you an example of this here. During this Q&A, one of my students ask me a very deep and meaningful question. Have a listen to this. >> I have a question about your entrepreneurial journey. >> Sure. >> There's a saying. It's kind of got a biblical context to it. >> Sure. What get gets you out of Egypt doesn't take you to paradise. Meaning sometimes you might need to get yourself out of somewhere you don't want to be before you can pursue chasing a dream or going somewhere you want to be. >> Yes. >> Could you please reflect on that in terms of your journey? >> Do you notice the way he asked me? I could tell that this question meant a lot to this student of mine and I could have literally just gave a really short answer and just say yes. I had to change who I am. Next question. But I didn't want to do that. This was a moment I knew that if I answered this well and I told a story and made the lesson memorable, I can change this young man's life. I can inspire him. So here's what I did instead of giving a short answer. The place that I didn't want to be was living in the discomfort of not knowing what I should do with my life. I hated that. But that was so necessary because I think often people don't realize that. and please speaking out of my area of expertise here. Okay, so we're just friends and this is venturing into a fairly deep space. Sitting in the discomfort of my early 20ies of not knowing what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, being presented with security, a path that most take, a script that most will write in their life because it's a default script society has told me to write versus blank pages and you can go and explore and write whatever story you want to write. Sitting in that space was me in Egypt. It was so difficult. I knew that I had to do some of this to be able to gradually do this. My heart wanted to immediately go and explore, but reality required me to work in a takeaway store first. I I I do this all the time when I come back from big gigs, right? I will always drive back to the takeaway store that I worked at, order a meal, sit in the food court, and eat it because I used to cook that meal. I used to deep fry hot chips and I used to stand in front of an oil all day. my face filled with acne because I did that. I did that for years. I worked at a petrol station at night so I could make more money because they paid more money for the nighttime hours. I worked at a petrol station in Semur in Adelaide. So I'd work all day 9 till 5 at a takeaway store and then after that I would go to the petrol station, get there at 6:00 and I work till about 12:00 at night cuz that's when I close. And then there were times when I'd then have to go to nightclubs to do magic because I would try to do magic to keep people in line. And I arranged with the club owners, if I can keep more people in line for you, you'll make more money because when the line's too long, people leave. I'll be the magician in line for you. Right? So, I started doing all this and started getting paid. I hated being around drunk people. I don't drink. I suffered in that path so I can create enough of a runway so I can buy blank pages to then go write my story. But I had to I had to go get money to buy the blank pages. I wasn't gifted blank pages. So then I got my blank pages and I started writing. And then you know what happened, Rev? Ran out of money to buy more blank pages before I found my way back to making money to buy blank pages. Notice the difference. Wasn't sharing a story like that way more impactful? And I know for a fact because I did that, I didn't just impact that young man. I inspired a lot of people in that room on that day. Now, if you've got significantly less than 15 minutes and you're in a situation like this, >> Vin, can we deliver by Friday? Yes or no? Once upon a time, there was a turtle named Yes. And then there was a hair named No. It's not the story you're thinking of. Trust me, you don't know this one. And then basically, the turtle is really slow and consistent. And the hair the hair is really sometimes the most influential thing you can do is give a straight and precise answer. Other times it's to tell a story. And mastery is knowing which moment you're in. And before I share something with you that's really important to me, I need to put away someone who's really important to me. Please. Thank you. Thank you, Dad. Let's make sure we lock that up as well. I can't afford to lose that guy. [Music] Perfect. Thank you. You, as you're sitting there watching this right now, your life is a story. Go live the story you want to tell. My team and I, we wanted to be able to tell a story where in 2026, we can say, "Do you remember that time we went to Dubai for New Year's? And at the end of this year, we are going to live the story first so we can tell it in 2026. Don't forget, you are the one holding the pen. You are the author of your story. This is just one of five skills that I wish I learned in my 20s. And if you want to learn the other four skills, click this video here to continue the journey with