Mike DomitrzPresident, Author, and Speaker on Respect, The Center for Respect, Inc. · Author & Speaker on Respect for Schools, Corporations, & the Military since 1990 (has reached

You don't tell the story, you live the story. #centerforrespect #mikedomitrz #respect #storytelling

13 Sept 2024 · 1 min

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In this monologue, the speaker argues that effective storytelling requires the audience to experience the narrative rather than being merely told about it. Using rhetorical questions and a personal anecdote, the speaker illustrates the universal preference for seeing actions performed over receiving instructions. The core message is to "show" the story—bring listeners into the moment—so they can live the experience, which makes the story more engaging and memorable.

Chapters

If you live the story, you don't tell the story. Well, let me tell you about a story, 'cause that sounds like I'm back in children's days and I'm sitting around. However, if you take me in the journey, I'm watching it. So now you're showing instead of telling. Ask anybody in the world, do you like when people tell you what to do? They will tell you no. Well, if you were— had the chance for someone to tell you what to do or for them to show you how to do it, which would you rather? Almost everybody says, I wanna see it done. I wanna see how it's done. So, same thing with storytelling. Are you showing or are you telling? So, don't tell me you're about to tell me a story. Just take me there. You know, I'll say, so when I was 19, I come back from my room, you know, and I— there's a sign on the wall. There it is. I'm looking at it. You'd think it's right there. Later in the story when I say they're looking me right in the eyes, they're like, I can see the person looking you right in the eyes because I'm living it.