In this podcast excerpt, Sally Koering Zimney, author of Speaking Story, introduces Chapter 4 of her audiobook, which focuses on clarifying what a story is not. She opens by sharing her 30‑year coaching background and the central role storytelling has played in her work with leaders, designers, and speakers. Zimney then delineates five categories that do not constitute true stories: rants, mere summaries, reports, generic anecdotes, and stories without a clear point. She stresses that effective stories are purposeful, persuasive tools that help leaders convey ideas, move audiences, and achieve specific outcomes. Throughout the episode she promotes her Unspeaker: Simple Storytelling audio course and the Be Moved Institute, inviting listeners to access these resources for deeper practice. The segment concludes with a call to action to continue listening ad‑free on Audible and to engage with the offered courses.
Chapters
Why are you doing that? We are moving and grooving. We are rolling along. We are rolling along here on the audiobook version of Speaking Story, the free version that you get here on the podcast feed with me, Sally Koering Zimney, the author of the book, but also you get kind of the inside scoop here. Yes, you can get the ad-free version over in Audible, and that's fantastic too. Either way, I'm so glad that you are here and taking in this, I think, really important information. And we are at chapter 4, actually, and it's all about what stories are not. And as somebody who has done this for, I don't know, it feels like a gazillion years. It, it actually feels wrong when I say that I have been coaching for almost 30 years. That feels really wrong, but, but as soon as I was in college, I was going back to my high school speech team and doing some coaching with them. So I don't know, I was 19 and how old am I now? Oh my gosh. Yeah, I'm 49. That's 30 years. What in the actual— huh? Yeah, 30 years. Obviously, I've gotten a lot better at my coaching. I wouldn't say the quality of coaching was the same then as it is now, for obvious reasons. But yeah, I've been doing this a long time, and all the way along, stories have been a mainstay of one of the tools and one of the differentiators of my approach as a coach. Because everybody can talk about stories being important. And a lot of people do. They're like, "Yeah, add a story." And even business and leadership contexts, I'm so grateful and I'm so glad that they're like, "Yes, we know we need more story." I just did a keynote for Adobe, gosh, a month ago or so, where once again, I'm there reminding them that as designers, to build in and create story in their designs, and they're like, "Yes, we know this is important," and yet I'm still reminding people of some really important things that sound really simple, but are so different than the way most of us learn story. And, you know, as we get into how we do this, I'm hoping that you will identify what some of those key changes can be. That will really help you leverage the specific role that stories can play. And one of the things that is just like, I just wanna shake people when they are saying, "Yep, I'm telling stories," and they stand up and really what they're telling me is a summary of a human experience, or it's a report, with feelings attached to it, or it's more of an anecdote than an actual story. And there is a really meaningful difference to that, to what a story actually is versus what it isn't. And I think if we aren't clear on what stories are not, we might accidentally think that we're telling stories when we're not. So in this chapter, I'm gonna get specific with you about what a story isn't. So that we can make sure that we're building the real thing. That's what we're going for. So let's dive in.
Hey everybody, and welcome to This Moved Me, a podcast about creating talks that move the world with me, your host, Sally Koering Zimney.
This complimentary listening of this Speaking Story audiobook is brought to you in part by the Be Moved Institute, or as I lovingly refer to it, Be Me. Leadership almost always comes with a microphone, Movers. Whether that's a meeting, a presentation, a tough conversation, a keynote conference opportunity that you have. I mean, even if you would never call yourself a speaker, or a storyteller, you are one. You just might not have the tools that you need yet, or the support that you need yet. And that's why I created the Unspeaker: Simple Storytelling audio course. It's like having me right alongside you on your walk or in the car on your commute, and it guides you through simple, powerful exercises to find the leadership stories that are already inside you and that will move your people. It's $49, but it's truly priceless, and I'm really excited to give you the opportunity to come join me over there. All you have to do is head to sally-koering-zimney.com/unspeaker to get started. And while you're there, join the waitlist for the Be Moved Institute. An incredible 2-day experience where we are giving corporate leaders the tools to present with power and clarity and authenticity and support. Now let's get into the chapter.
Chapter 4: What Stories Are Not. Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form. Jean-Luc Godard. Let me be clear about what stories are not. Stories are not rants. They are not summaries of something that happened. They are not reports. They are not generic. And they are not without a point. We are not talking about entertainment storytelling. We are sharing a very purposeful story that's going to do something specific. Stories are persuasive, and we're gonna intentionally leverage that story to help bring your idea or your business or your message to life and connect with your audience in a more compelling way.
That's the end of this chapter of Speaking Story. If you want to keep listening ad-free, you can find the full audiobook on Audible or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. And if this chapter stirred something in you, if it, shall we say, moved you, let me suggest that you start with the Unspeaker Simple Storytelling Audio Mini Course at sally-zimney.com. Www.movers.com/unspeaker. All right, movers, this moved me. What is moving you? See you next time.
