When I wrote, “Start telling stories,” my whole body asked, How? As is the case when I pay attention, the Universe delivered answers to my question. This time it was through my podcast feed.
Yesterday, I received Episode #462 of the Art of Manliness, How to Tell Better Stories. An interview with Matthew Dicks, author of Storyworthy – Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling.
Since I just bought Storyworthy on my Kindle and haven’t read it, I’ll share the resources I’ve gathered to get us started telling better stories.
Homework For Life
From the TEDx stage, Matthew shares how the act of taking time each evening to reflect on his day and capture moments of his day changed his life.
Dicks says, “Homework for Life” is a strategy that I originally began using to generate more story topics for the stage, but as I began to use the strategy daily, it changed my life. It made everything about my life so much more vivid and slowed my life down remarkably. It’s a strategy I teach to my storytelling classes often, and I’ve had people tell me that it has replaced therapy and meditation for them. It truly changes lives. Powerful.”
Speak Up
Speak Up is a Hartford-based storytelling organization, founded by Matthew and Elysha Dicks, that seeks to promote the art of personal storytelling to a wide audience and foster and support a community of storytellers.Speak Up brings professional and amateur storytellers to the stage to share true stories from their lives. Speak Up founders and producers work closely with storytellers to help them craft their stories for the stage, and they also teach storytelling workshops for storytellers and professionals at every level.
Storytelling Workshops
Speaking Your Truth – First Steps in the Art of Storytelling, December 7 – 9, 2018 at Kripalu in Stockbridge, MA.
Learn the art of personal storytelling in a low-stakes, information-packed, highly entertaining workshop designed for people with little or no previous storytelling experience. Explore storytelling for personal and professional development, to improve your communication and writing skills, to challenge yourself, or to get the attention of colleagues, family, and friends. Or maybe even to take the stage someday and perform!Come explore
- Methods for generating story ideas from life experiences
- Simple, highly effective strategies for crafting an entertaining, engaging story
- The development of humor, suspense, and stakes in storytelling
- Games designed to help you speak on the spur of the moment, and how to apply the skills taught in class to everyday storytelling.
Speak Up Storytelling Podcast
Matthew and Elysha Dicks produce a weekly podcast on storytelling called Speak Up Storytelling. The podcast webpage says, “Unlike most storytelling podcasts, which offer you one or more outstanding stories to listen to and enjoy, our podcast seeks to entertain while also providing some specific, actionable lessons on storytelling.They promise, “In every episode, Elysha and I will listen to one of the many stories told and recorded at Speak Up over the last five years, followed by a lesson on storytelling based upon what we just heard. We’ll talk about the effective strategies used by the storyteller. We’ll offer tips on things like humor, stakes, transitions, suspense, and the ordering of content. We’ll also suggest possible revisions to make the story even better.Whether your goal is to someday take the stage and tell a story or simply to become a better storyteller in the workplace or your social life, this podcast is for you.”
I’m inspired to tell better stories. And I’m excited to explore all of the resources that Matthew and Elysha have so generously created.
I hope you’ll join me in becoming a better storyteller. What we have to say is important.
Live a Bold & Authentic Life
Matt
