Elements of a story5/28/2023 Or it could be internal, like the realization that you’re no longer happy in your career. It can be something external, like getting a flat tire on a busy highway. You need to get to the action or risk losing attention.ĭescribe the urgent problem that throws life out of balance for the hero. Provide a few key details to help the audience relate, but don’t spend too much time here. These include:ĭescribe the hero/main character in a life-as-usual setting. They want to learn vicariously from others’ mistakes and avoid the same pitfalls-or follow the footsteps of a successful mission.īuilding on the complication-resolution foundation, Hollywood screenwriter Robert McKee, an expert on structuring film scripts, explains additional elements in his book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. The order in which you present the narrative-complication, then resolution-is critical, because the complication grabs the listeners’ attention and makes them eager to find out what happens next. In addition, you should make the connection between the hero’s journey and why it’s relevant to the audience (more on that later). And the “hero” is often you, the speaker. In its most basic form, story structure involves a hero, a complication, and a resolution. We just have less time to get to the point-minutes, not hours. But a well-structured story taps into audience expectations and stokes anticipation. The underlying structure may go unnoticed by listeners or readers who are wrapped up in the drama. Master storytellers use structure-or the strategic ordering of events-to propel a story forward. But the basic journey is there: a call to adventure, mounting difficulties, a moment of insight, climactic action, order restored. Sometimes the challenge is more personal or spiritual, such as a quest for self-knowledge or enlightenment. Our hero musters the resolve to slay the dragon and returns home triumphant, with new knowledge and experience. But in a moment of insight, the hero realizes what must be done to succeed. Obstacles arise along the way, and the hero considers giving up. A hero accepts the challenge and goes on a quest to find and slay the dragon. Life in the village is normal until one day an urgent problem arises-such as a menacing dragon. In his groundbreaking 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, cultural anthropologist Joseph Campbell argues that the world’s great myths and creation stories follow the same basic plot: As you prepare to write your next speech, use these points to perfect your narrative and become a more compelling speaker. The impact of a story begins in its bones-the basic structure that supports many varied narratives, such as the rags-to-riches story arc. In Toastmasters, we weave stories-funny, somber, insightful, relatable-into our speeches for the same purpose: to persuade, inform, influence, or inspire. But they don’t always say what goes into a good story.Īs a lecturer in the strategic communication program at Columbia University in New York, New York, and an independent speech and presentation coach, I find that the elements seen in a strong story arc are also key to persuasive speaking. When you write a speech, how do you make it engaging? Professional speechwriters frequently note that storytelling is paramount. Good stories follow familiar patterns that spark recognition in the audience, with universal themes that are inherently satisfying. Its appeal is rooted in the classic rags-to-riches story line, a compelling narrative that has been told for centuries in literature, music, and theater. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the plot from the Academy Award-winning film A Star is Born-a film so popular it has been remade three times. As luck would have it, a well-known music executive is in the crowd that night. The skeptical audience quickly warms to the performance. As the music plays, her timid voice begins to soar. An aspiring young singer takes the stage.
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