It's all about the story

Storytelling is a superpower everybody needs

Your life is full of stories worth sharing. Whether you're debugging code, building the next big thing, or just having a casual talk with one of your colleagues, storytelling transforms the way you connect, influence, and grow.

But that’s not all.

Good storytellers are the best leaders.

1. Inspiration: Great leaders, like good storytellers, inspire action by painting a clear picture of the future or by creating emotional resonance.

2. Connection: Stories build trust and rapport. They help leaders connect to their people on a personal level.

3. Clarity: Storytelling makes complex ideas clear.

4. Influence: Stories have the power to persuade and motivate people by appealing to both logic and emotions.

Matthew Dicks is a storytelling mastermind. He tells his stories everywhere he can, he won several storytelling championships and wrote over 9 books.

He is also a productivity fiend. He does everything productively and he never wastes a second.

But that’s a story for another day.

For this article, I’ll show you how Matthew Dicks crafts his stories to perfection. But first, you need to learn how to find these stories.

And there’s one tiny thing that will make you a 10x storyteller. I’ll get to it later in the article.

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If you are into storytelling, I’d advise you to go and read the book asap. Then come back and read this summary.

p.s.

This is an affiliate link, so we get a few cents for each purchase :)

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But first, why do I need to be a good storyteller as a software developer, you might ask.

Well, it’s no secret that we, developers, are the worst storytellers. And being a good storyteller has a monumental effect on your chances to climb up the ladder and get better positions.

Be it asking for a raise or demanding a change, you always have to explain yourself.

And with a good story, you can sell almost anything.

Finding stories in everyday life

The secret to storytelling? Realizing that your life is already full of storyworthy moments. You just have to start noticing them.

Homework for life

This daily and tiny practice will make this process easier.

At the end of every day, sit down and write a few words or sentences about the most important or meaningful thing that happened to you that day.

Here’s my notebook:

😜

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These moments don’t have to be dramatic or life-changing.

As a matter of fact, Dicks says that the best stories are the ones that have very small and subtle shifts of perspective.

For Example

• A realization while stuck in traffic.

• A 1-on-1 with your team lead that made your day.

• A small mistake that taught you a valuable lesson.

The more you stick with the practice, the more you’ll notice during the day that your brain tries to find these moments, because you have to write something in your notebook.

Here’s one of my highlights:

I played a VR horror game with Sara, and even though she was scared in the beginning, it ended up being an awesome experience.

Writing a compelling story

Okay, so now that you have a few ideas from the last few days, it’s time to get your hands dirty! (With oil stains from your keyboard)

Here’s another secret about storytelling:

Every good story boils down to one five-second moment. The transformation, the discovery, or the realization.

Your job as the storyteller is not only to highlight this moment and build everything around it but to eliminate everything that doesn’t serve it.

Here’s how:

1. Cut to the chase: Do not waste time on backstories that don’t add to the moment. Jump into the action as close to the moment as possible.

2. (10x) Add physical details: This is a game-changer. If you only take this out of this article, you are a 10x storyteller than you were. By adding a short description of the surroundings, you put the reader exactly where you are and you make the story much easier to follow.

3. Build stakes: Introduce an “Elephant in the Room”. Something that grabs attention immediately. For example: “I was ready to barge into my manager’s office and tell her I quit”.

4. Create emotional investment: Focus on universal emotions like fear, joy, frustration, etc. Even if your audience can’t relate to the situation, they’ll connect with the feeling.

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SPOILER ALERT

Here’s an example from one of Dick’s stories.

Dick was in a fatal accident, which put him in a death state for several seconds and sent him to the hospital with broken bones and displaced jaw and teeth.

This is one hell of a story. But not something people can really connect to on a personal level.

So, instead of using this as the main part of the story, Dicks uses it to build tension and emotion.

And what could the moment of the story be for such a dramatic event, you might wonder.

You’d be surprised.

The moment in the story is a transformation from believing that he’s lonely and alone in this world, to having all his friends and colleagues visit him in the hospital after his accident.

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Story delivery

For engineers and entrepreneurs, the art of storytelling is not only about developing a great story. It’s also about delivering it. Here are some practical tips:

Use present tense

It makes the story more immediate, like it is currently happening. (Another 10x)

I walked into the meeting room, and everyone stared at me. I felt a bead of sweat trickling down my temple as I fumbled for words.

VS

I walk into the meeting room, and everyone stares at me. I feel a bead of sweat trickling down my temple as I fumble for words.

Cut the props and the distractions:

Let your words do their work for you. Do not dilute that with gimmicks.

I step on stage holding a whiteboard marker and an oversized cardboard box. I place the box on a table, open it dramatically, and pull out a small trophy labeled “Best New Product”. I walk to the whiteboard, draw an elaborate chart of revenue projections, and finally say, “This was the moment we knew we had a hit product.”

VS

I step on stage, take a deep breath, and look directly at the audience. I smile and begin: “This was the moment we knew we had a hit product. And let me tell you—it didn’t happen the way we expected.”

Manage the nerves

Eye contact, strategic pausing, and even a display of your humanity go a very long way.

I avoid eye contact, shuffle my notes, and stammer, “Uh, today I’m going to talk about… um… our product launch.”

VS

I pause, make eye contact, and smile. “Let me tell you about the moment we launched our product—and everything went wrong before it went right.”

"Find your five-second moment. Share it. The world is waiting to listen."

Matthew Dicks

What we enjoyed reading this week

1. Tools that made me 10x better (a very special Black Friday list) 🎄 by

   Tom Orbach
   - Tom just keeps delivering killer articles. Read it. You’ll get it.

2. On Being Positive - "I'm going to be fired" by

   Michał Poczwardowski
   - Being positive is a superpower. It’s also a skill. Michał will teach you how to develop it.

3. My open letter to the new Startup Founders by

   John Rush
   - 13 hard, unfiltered truths for all you entrepreneurs out there.