What is your origin story?

15 Feb 2023 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, Richard Milligan explains the concept of an "origin" as a storytelling prompt that takes people back to formative moments. He notes that interviewers like Larry King and Oprah excel at forcing interviewees to share stories by asking origin‑type questions. Milligan illustrates the idea with personal details about his family—four children, a grandson, ages ranging from 8 to 20, and a marriage of nearly 25 years—to show how a simple question about his family can serve as an origin that leads to richer narrative. He suggests that asking about where a couple met or similar beginnings can reliably draw out a story, defining this technique as the essence of an "origin" question.

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Origins are beginnings. They take people back to places. And what Larry King and Oprah were great at is forcing people to tell stories. If someone asks me, Richard, tell me a little bit about your family, I would say, well, I've got 4 kids. I've got a grandson. It's a crazy busy season for us. The youngest is 8. The oldest is 20. Leigh and I've been married for 25 years almost. And that might be my answer. There's a couple of questions that you could answer that could take me back to the beginning. That's so cool. You have been married for almost 25 years. Where did you all meet? And you take me back to a place that forces me to tell you a story. That's what we call an origin.