Master the art of storytelling: Unlock your creative potential

9 Nov 2023 · 3 min

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2:30

TJ Walker (speaker) recounts a personal, true anecdote from the 1990s when he was on a South Florida talk radio show where the host pulled a gun on him. He uses this episode to teach a storytelling lesson: when you tell stories in presentations, avoid making yourself the hero every time—show vulnerability and moments when you fumbled, because imperfection makes stories more engaging. The clip emphasizes resilience (he returned to host shows later) and the pedagogical point about revealing weakness to connect with audiences.

Questions this video answers

In the 1990s.

On a talk radio show in South Florida.

Chapters

I'll never forget the time I was on a talk radio show in South Florida back in the 1990s. A political talk show host didn't like my beliefs, started grilling me, pounding away. I tried to be tough. I thought I was confident. All of a sudden, he reaches under the table, pulls out a gun and points it at me. Now do you see my position, Mr. Walk? I was scared, petrified. Talk radio, no one could see it. But there I was in this little studio with a guy who seemed like a madman pointing a gun at me, asking questions. I wasn't thinking clearly. You know what came out of my mouth when he asked that question? Nothing. It was not my best moment. It was not a great moment at all. You know, I didn't let that bother me. I actually went back to that station two weeks later and guest hosted other shows. Now, I stayed away from that guy, but it made me realize I have a passion for communicating. I like to communicate. I'm not going to let one bad day, one bad example ruin it for me. I wasn't going to quit. Okay, what did I do there? In storytelling, don't fall into the trap of making yourself the hero. Too many people think, oh, I know I'm supposed to tell stories when I give a presentation. Every presentation expert says, so. No, you don't want to make yourself the hero, though. That's the trap. So make sure when you're telling stories occasionally or half the time, show where you didn't do the right thing. You weren't the hero. You were sort of the klutz, the bungler, the person who didn't know what they were doing. And that story I just gave you, it was true, by the way. I didn't show myself as perfect under grace and the silver tongue who knew exactly what to say or the put down to humiliate the host who was trying to humiliate me. No, I let you know that, hey, even I can fumble sometimes. I had nothing come out of my mouth by revealing weakness. But then, lessons learned later, it makes it a more interesting story and makes it so that I'm not putting myself way up here on a pedestal. So please keep that in mind. Yes, tell stories, but don't make yourself out to be the hero of every story.