Story Spark Day 26 - Your Story, Your Endgame,

Going. All right, so awesome. Welcome everyone to day 26 of StorySpark session where we meet every day for 15 minutes, learn a concept, practice a concept, and then deliver it right there and then. And I got really good feedback from yesterday's session where we talked about a very good fun content writing tool which is called the anaphora. And I am going to extend that to another fun tool which is— let me bring up my slide. The other tool is called, which you can say, think about it as the opposite of anaphora, and that is called epiphora.

What is epiphora?

Epiphora is another tool where you end your sentences and clauses with the same impactful word or phrases. Now, just like anaphora, epiphora has also been widely used for a lot of public speeches, a lot of stories, a lot of places where you want to have an impact. So let me give you a couple of examples and then we'll get into— right into today's exercise. And these are couple of examples. So first one is Barack Obama when he faced downfall in 2008, he gave this speech which had "Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!" Similarly, the other one which is very famous is from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which has this "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." So you might have guessed, today's exercise is also going to be something similar where we are going to use epiphora. I think it should say epiphora. Yeah, I've written wrong.

This should be—

so we are going to have one fun exercise which is called Your Story, Your Endgame. So what is it that we are going to do? We are going to have a exercise where I want you to write or rewrite one of your story, and it could be about 5 to 7 lines, it could be little less also. And I want you to end all the lines with the same phrase. For example, dash to tell my story, dash to tell my story, dash to tell my story. Or A, because I believe in myself. B, because I believe in myself. C, because I believe in myself. So you have these 6 options, or you can bring your own option as well. That's not a problem. You can use one of these, but the goal is to have at least 3-4 sentences that should end with the same phrase. Okay, clear with the exercise? Awesome. So let's get started. I'm gonna play the music and I want you to write for next couple of minutes. Let's do that. Okay, Dr. Alka, did you get the exercise? You are mute. Dr. Alka, if you're speaking, you are on mute.

I got the exercise.

You got the exercise? Okay, let's do this.

Last 30 seconds.

All right, we are done with exercise. So would love to know what you came up with, Venkat. Unmute yourself. Yes, go ahead. So which phrase did you take?

I take my own.

Okay, go ahead.

Many face the challenging to speak in public. If they get rid of their inferiority complex, they have a great— because they have a great insight. If they get rid of their fear of negative judgment, they can express their views because they have a great moral of story. Because they have a great story to influence others.

So you use that because, because they have great something. Yeah, very nice. Awesome. Story power to you. SPDY, everybody will write in the chat. And yes, let's go to Dr. Alka. What did you write?

So I didn't understand the phrase that, uh, uh you used, Venkat? What was the phrase that was repeatedly used?

Because they have a great insight, because they have a great moral of story, because they have a great story to influence others.

Yeah, so he used a little bit of modified version where last word was not the same, but I think it does make it still rhyming. So because they have a great dash Yes, you can go ahead, Dr. Alka.

Yeah, so for me, uh, the most passionate thing in my life is when I resigned my job. And why I did it was because I was not savoring my family, I was not savoring my life. So my, my sentence that I want to say is: savor your life, enjoy your life, be proud of your life, be proud of who you are. So I think what you're saying is little different and I'm saying something different. The message is— I think you're saying is when the same phrase has to be used again and again.

Like, the, the— okay, let me bring up the slides once again. So the definition of epiphora is that where each sentences ends with a similar phrase, right? So let me just bring up the slide. So that's one other reason I asked you to get that. So in epiphora, like anaphora we had yesterday where everything starts with the same phrase, in this case it ends with the same phrase. So the couple of examples that is there is one, if one of his, the Barack Obama, he used in his 2008 address. So for every sentence he used, yes, yes we can, yes we can, yes we can. Or there's also a phrase from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address where he says, "Of the people, by the people, for the people." So it's ending on the same phrase. So this is what the exercise is, right? So the exercise was to write in such a way that your sentences are ending with either one of these phrases, or you can come up with your own phrase as well, right? So I get that, but not a problem. You can try, uh, yeah, next time. But let me, let me write down what— let me say what I wrote it down, because I do exercises, these exercises along with you. So I love doing this, and I use the phrase, because I believed in myself. So similar to the second one, but just I use the past tense of it. Because I believed in myself, I got out of my small hometown. Because I believed in myself. I went to do many unconventional things because I believed in myself. I became an engineer because I believed in myself. I failed many times, but I kept trying because I believed in myself. I finally quit my day job and went on to do full-time coaching because I believed in myself. So do you see that now once you set it up for once, twice, people can actually complete your sentences? And you know, the next level of this is where you once and twice do it and fourth time ask them, okay, how is gonna end? Or you will, you will just keep the sentence open and they will end it for yourself, and that becomes a great huge audience engagement. Aayachal, good to have you here.

Awesome.

So yes, so do you want to— I mean, this is Saturday, I'm happy to extend for some more time. And I know Alka ji has not done it, and Achal, you just joined. So do you— do we want to extend for another 5 minutes?

No, I've done it.

You've done it? Okay, let me give Achal also a brief because he just joined, and we— and we'll let you also Share. So we are doing one of these rhetorical devices called epiphora. And what does epiphora mean is that your sentences or phrases should end with the same line of words, right? So example, there are a couple of examples. So the exercise for today is you write 3, 4, 5 lines, whatever you want to write, but end with the same phrase. You can use one of these as the phrase or you can come up with your own phrase. That's not a problem. So while Dr. Alka will tell her lines, I want you to think about 3, 4, 5 lines that you want to use, right? This is all about practice. So if you're here, you need to share what you have written. So let's start with, uh, Dr. Alka, go ahead, unmute yourself.

So I, I resigned myself I resigned my job at that time knowing fully well that I don't have any money to pay my installment, but I believed in myself. I wanted to be with my children and I wanted to spend time with my children because I believed in myself. So this sentence I'll be repeating again and again.

Correct, correct. Just make that— your first sentence was quite longer, so you want to break it into two. And you don't want to— so that is another thing, when you are speaking or writing, don't make the sentence too long for anyone to comprehend. So keep it 10, 12, 15 words maximum. That, that makes it easy for us to understand. Okay, so, Achal, did you have any thought about how do you want to say?

Yes, yes, I, I also want to repeat the same line, I believe in myself, but I will add something. Okay, so 2 years back when I joined Confidence Storytelling Hub, I believed in myself. No, because I believed in myself. And after that, yeah, this is, this is the story, I think.

Yeah, try one more sentence. Yeah, what did you achieve? What did you try? What did you fail?

Okay. And I wanted to be good at storytelling, um, and I, I wanted to be good at storytelling, and I learned I try to learn public speaking because I believed in myself. I hope making sense or not.

Yeah, it is making sense. Yeah, awesome. So yes, I, I can see you're joining first time, so you may be little uncomfortable, but this is what it is. When you stretch yourself, that's when you become better. So let's go around the room. This is the last part where we are going to do a reflection of what did you learn and how did you— how did this exercise make you feel. So let's start with Venkat.

Haritosh Srivastav. When we start this epiphora, people understand what the next, last sentence would be. So it connects the people easily. Yes. I need to practice more to implement in my story. Yes, yes.

The first step is awareness. Second step is implementation. So now you are aware, now you just need to start implementing by writing your story, by using these tools. Awesome. Dr. Alka, what, uh, what did you learn?

What is this?

Fabulous. It's a fabulous way of saying the message again and again, what you want to tell. If you have 3 messages, one of the messages is this: I believe in myself. So it can be told to them, and very— I think it brings out the emphaticness of your message by saying it again and again. Like, anaphora was also similar, but it was in the beginning of the sentence. Yes. And this is at the end. So it's a— we have to incorporate it in our speeches.

That's absolutely, absolutely. That is how you become a powerful, confident, impactful speaker. Because when people can—

right.

And another part of this is when you implement epiphora, you're basically implementing a rhyme, because every sentence is ending with this. So it becomes much easier for people to remember right? So kids love to rhyme. Even we as adults love to rhyme, and this is a powerful tool to actually rhyme. So this is also very much used for poets or writers, and they are writing poems or creative pieces because that makes it easy for people to learn. Awesome. Marshall, I know you joined for a very short period, but what was your reflection from today's session?

Wow, same for me. I would say that when I say I believe in myself, it Point number 1 could be that it's kind of affirmation, like a line, I believe in myself. Other could be for audience, if I add it to my speech, so 4 or 5 line, I can like, um, be there for, uh, for more 20 seconds, I think. So that can also help and get the attention of audience as well.

Yes, absolutely. Wonderful. So yes, that was day 26 of Epiphora for StorySpark session. I am enjoying this session, so let's continue doing this. Today is Storython week 5, and for Confidence Storytelling Hub members, we are going to have the session tonight or this evening at 8 PM. And don't forget to join because I am going to reveal a framework which I have never discussed in Confidence Storytelling Hub or even outside. And if you learn that framework, it can be a game changer in your story writing journey, in the journey of you creating your stories. So if you're excited, do join. And yes, if you're watching it on video, please create your own sentences. And I want to acknowledge once again Prem, who is in Switzerland, who wakes up at his own time, but he still shares the video. So if you are watching this Don't just watch. Awareness is not enough. You also need to implement. So just create your sentences. If you are part of the group, send a video. If you're not part of group, still watching on YouTube, you can still write it as a comment below this video. See you all tomorrow. And as I say every time, until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep going out of your comfort zone. This is Haritosh Srivastav. See you tomorrow. By the way, did you notice I use anaphora in these 3 sentences as well? Have fun!