Story Secrets

Posted by DJL on Dec 12, 2012 in Communication | 0 comments

If there’s a theme to this week’s posts, it’s probably that stories matter. The stories we care about we tell and retell, not always the same way but allowing the dominant media of our culture to help us tell them again and anew. Similarly, the truly great stories aren’t just continued or updated but take new shape and life in relation to the people who will hear them.

Filmmaker Andrew Stanton is a storyteller. Creator of movies like Toy Story and WALL-E, he crafts stories that resonate with millions of people, and in this TEDTalk he shares some of the things he thinks are the most important elements of great stories.

There’s a lot of great material here for teachers, preachers, leaders – anyone, really, who deals with stories – but I found the following seven insights particularly intriguing:

There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you heard their story.

The 1st Commandment of story telling: Make me care.

Good stories make a promise. A well-told promise is like a sling shot that propels you through the story.

The audience wants to work for its meal – but they don’t want to know they’re doing it.

We’re born problem solvers. It’s the absence of information that draws us in.

Don’t give them 4, give them 2+2.

“Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.” – William Archer

So what kind of story do you want to tell? One about your life, a cause, an event that happened in the past or might happen in the future, something in the Bible that still resonates with meaning and power today? Whatever it is, Andrew Stanton’s experience and insights will help.

One quick warning before viewing: Stanton begins his presentation with a joke. A funny, but definitely crude, joke that isn’t integral to the theme of the talk. So if you want to skip it, start at 1:15. (Just hit pause once it’s running and move the timeline forward.)

Note: if you are receiving this post by email you may need to click here to watch the video.