My previous post’s theme was how to tell a story in two parts, rather than all at once. To help you experience the story that way, I presented Part I of my “Oprah Story” in my last post and will present Part II in this post. Also, last time I told you what kinds of …
One of the most thrilling and terrifying moments of my life was when I was interviewed on Oprah. My publisher, Harper Perennial, had lined up media appearances for my book tour. An appearance on Oprah was a coup for them and a chance to sell a lot of books. It didn’t matter that I was a clinical …
Imagine you are in the audience when I open my presentation with this story: How many of you have spent a week with a Zulu warrior? I have and it was one of the most memorable weeks of my life. In October 2014 I went on safari in South Africa. Our guide was a young man named …
When I was 16 years old, I made a big mistake. I wrote a story for a classmate. She offered me $10 to write it—which was a lot of money to turn down in those days—so she could go out with her boyfriend instead of doing her assignment for our Creative Writing class. Monday morning she handed in …
To tell or not to tell a story. That is the question and it’s an important one. When considering including a story in your presentation, apply these 3 screening criteria: 1) Never stick a story in your talk to emotionally manipulate the audience. It comes off as hokey or cheesy. 2) If your story requires …