Intentional Story Teller

Last week I was catching up with an entrepreneur who told one amazing story after another. When I left the conversation, I could not stop thinking about how impressive his storytelling ability was. It made me reflect on the power of stories and how entrepreneurs should lean into them and deliberately work to get better, especially if it does not come naturally.

Many entrepreneurs are visionaries, dreamers, and big-idea thinkers. But there are also plenty of engineers and logic-driven founders who prefer dealing in facts rather than stories. I fall into that nuts-and-bolts camp myself, which means I have to work at storytelling.

Like any skill, storytelling can be improved with practice. Whenever I hear an interesting anecdote, a witty saying, or a compelling quote, I save it in a note on my iPhone. With a quick voice dictation, it is captured in seconds and stored indefinitely. Using the same approach, it would be easy to record a story or anecdote every day. Over time, you build a personal library you can draw from in future conversations.

The real challenge is forming the habit. Do you spend ten minutes each morning reviewing the prior day for stories worth saving? Or do you train yourself to capture them the moment they happen? The best storytellers seem to do this naturally. They have an almost unbelievable ability to recall the right story on demand. Even without that natural talent, a simple, lightweight system can dramatically elevate your storytelling.

Humans evolved around campfires, sharing stories for thousands of years. The power of a story is unlike anything else. My recommendation for entrepreneurs is to exercise their storytelling muscle and actively look for ways to improve their craft. Writing, speaking, and every other form of communication becomes far more powerful when driven by compelling stories.