Everybody says when you write or you speak you’ve got to “show and not tell.” This is key to the power of storytelling in business.
What does show not tell mean?
It means as a writer or a speaker you make the audience feel as if they’re part of the movie-like scene that you’re describing.
So when you tell a story, they’re actually in the story. It’s almost like a theater-in-the-round. They become part of it.
This is something I teach.
You do it in scenes. You set up scenes where you show the story like a playwright or a cinematographer.
You use real dialogue from characters back and forth to show “this is what it would be like if you were there.” This is what they said. You eavesdrop on them.
You describe what they look like, what they’re wearing. What the lighting is like. How they eat. How they treat people. And all that goes into making a movie that is your story.
That’s how you show, not tell.
Great talk by storyteller/columnist @DaveLieber tonight at University of Charleston. Touching, funny, humble, human. pic.twitter.com/RThPjrTkB3
— vicburkhammer (@vicburkhammer) March 18, 2015
More from Dave Lieber on Business Storytelling
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He’s a Certified Speaking Professional and a fabulous entertainer offering fun and funny insights to make your life better. He’s The Watchdog columnist at The Dallas Morning News.
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