On Storytelling

Once I understood how important Storytelling is, and mostly "Non Fictional" based on personal experience or those we know, in different settings, whether family, work or politics, in general in Public speaking also, I begun to study it.

The first book I found about it, The Power of Personal Storytelling by Jack Maguire, told me why they are so important, then how to find them, and mostly how to learn them. I am still reading it again, as just reading it once was not enough, even if I learned how to remember and not read.

The second book was The Story Factor, by Annette Simons, who tells about her experience in introducing Storytelling Techniques in Corporate settings, and different strategies to use it to influence and persuade. How to and how not to.

The third book was Improving your Storytelling, by Doug Lipman, a storyteller, himself, whose life is to learn better to tell them, and gives an impressive glimpse of how to do it better, once one decides to do it, how we can improve each time on the last and how much important is to incorporate the needs of "this" audience into the telling.

The forth, I just got yesterday, is The Leader's guide to Storytelling, Mastering the Art and discipline of Business narrative, by Stphen Denning. I was almost repelled by it when I got it. Do I need this? Yes, I did. I do. Also I am only at the beginning, I already learned a lot of the deep reasons of different stories, and why we should use this or that in different circumstances and goals. But also understood more about the reason of the "flat" story in a popular tale or parable of bible. The reader, listener can then better put herself (himself) into it and identify with it.

So each book adds some to the edifice of my understanding of good storytelling. Good meaning appropriate to the goal and the occasion, to each of us and the audience.

So much to ponder, and then, because storytelling cannot be learned otherwise, to practice. Creating, modifying and delivering them, again and again.