The Bones of a Great Story

Whether you’re rallying a team, pitching a vision, or inspiring a room full of customers—you need more than information. You need a good story.

Quick: Think of the best storyteller you know.

Have you got them in your mind’s eye?

Ok, now I want you to try and nail down a simple pattern for how they tell such brilliant stories.

That’s a LOT harder to pinpoint, right?

When I asked my mother in law (may she rest in peace) how much salt to add to her famous red sauce, she looked at me quizzically and said, “Enough salt. You need enough salt.” Not helpful, Nonna.

But so it goes with storytelling.

HOWEVER, does this mean we throw up our hands and give up because we don’t yet sense what “enough salt” tastes like? Heavens no!

It means we need to develop that palette. You need to know the fundamentals of salt, acid, heat and fat, as Samin Nosrat would say.

This post is dedicated to identifying those elements so that you can learn to use them effectively in your storytelling.

Below are the 5 elements that I think make up the salt, acid, heat, and fat of storytelling, each of which can be studied, practiced, and … (chef’s kiss) perfected.

Photo by Eric Mok on Unsplash

🪝1. The Relatable Hook (aka the “Hey, I’ve been there” moment)