Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work and Play (American Storytelling)

by Doug Lipman

Book Overview

Ayla, one of the most remarkable and beloved heroines in contemporary fiction, continues to explore the world and the people around her with curiosity, insight, and, above all, courage.As the story... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874835305
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: August House
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.6" x 0.5" x 5.6"

Customer Reviews

The best way to communicate ... tell a story

This is an excellent book about storytelling. I bought the book for self improvement. As a salesman and consultant, most of my career has been spent communicating with corporate decision makers. The best way to communicate effectively is through anecdotal stories. Why? Your listeners remember them. Lipman does a great job of explaining effective storytelling by stepping his readers through the process of story development, defining the "MIT" Most Important Thing, and tips for delivering the story effectively. He also spends time in teaching how to deliver a story that must be told verbatim...a difficult thing to do. If you are in a business that requires you to influence people through effective communication, you will find this book an invaluable resource. Read it and enjoy it, then tell your friends your story.

Solidify Your Message with Better Stories

Successful use of stories is an important, and often under-rated, aspect of public speaking, particularly in the workplace. It is also critical to developing well-received speeches in Toastmasters clubs. This book provides a wealth of valuable insights on developing engaging stories that will carry your message.

How to tell stories which have "dynamic balance"

Frankly, I was unaware of Lipman until I read his Foreword to Annette Simmons' The Story Factor. Favorably impressed, I then read Improving Your Storytelling which was first published in 1999. Of course, people have been telling stories for thousands of years. My own list of history's greatest storytellers includes Homer, Plato, Aesop, Jesus, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Joel Chandler Harris, L. Frank Baum, and E.B. White. All of the great storytellers are guided and informed by the same basic principles: They use compelling language and powerful images, establish an appropriate context (physical, intellectual, emotional, and social) within which to place a story, and then develop a relationship with both their audience and their story. As Lipman suggests, the storyteller, audience, and story "form the three corners of a triangle -- the storytelling triangle." He offers material "beyond the basics for all who tell stories in work and play." Obviously, "play" includes situations in which stories are told to "children of all ages" primarily to delight and entertain them. But what about "work"? While reading Lipman's book, I soon realized that his insights and advice are at least as relevant to "work" as they are to "play." Effective storytelling skills are indeed valuable in all forms of communication between and among people. Only in recent years, however, has there been significant interest in what is generally referred to as "the business narrative." I shudder when recalling countless formal presentations I made in the past when droning on and on much as then Governor Bill Clinton once did at a Democratic national convention. Thousands roared their approval when he said "In conclusion...." and then groaned as he continued on for another 35 minutes. He indicated little (if any) respect for his audience. Had Lipman been given the opportunity to help Mr. Clinton to prepare his remarks, presumably the length of his speech would have been reduced by half, if not by more. Lipman would also have formulated an interesting "story" to be told with authentic passion or at least enthusiasm while investing the narrative with vivid images and compelling details and, in countless other ways, enable Mr. Clinton to establish, immediately, a close bond with his audience and then nourish that relationship with empathy, respect, and (yes) humility. The material in this book is carefully organized and developed within five Sections after Lipman briefly reviews "storytelling basics and beyond." He explains how to transfer imagery. How to establish relationships with the story told, with the given audience, and with yourself. Then in Section Five, he explains how to integrate each component of the storytelling event, noting that "the components are only important insofar as they contribute to the overall effect" of the event. That is, as "an invisible whole." The focus in Chapter 18 is on the four "l

Improving Your Storytelling by Doug Lipman

Doug Lipman is an absolutely superb story genius. He has really taken the art of coaching artists to the next level. I highly recommend the book, as well as Doug in person, because he is truly dedicated to the craft. His book is easy to read, understand and to use right away. This is a book about how to improve your life, not just your stories! If you want to take your storytelling to the next level, buy this immediately !

Falling in Love with a Story

Want to learn how to tell a story straight from your heart--read this book!Like some targeted readers, I am a professional storyteller. How intellectually stimulating it was for me to experience Doug's story-learning process. It felt so good for Doug to take me with him as he showed how he makes each story his own. Doug Lipman seamlessly wove together three concepts: honoring your audiences, telling only stories that you can love and that speak to you, and practical story-learning techniques. He found methods to engage both my right and left brain as I voraciously chewed and swallowed each and every page. This book is rich with no extraneous wordiness or meaningless trivia. This author makes every word count within a logical whole cloth of thought about ways any teller of tales can enrich their audiences by becoming one with their stories and their audiences.Kudos to a master teller!