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The secret to good storytelling (especially if you hate it)

The secret to good storytelling (especially if you hate it)

You don’t have to perform. Just reflect.

Stephen Stanberry
September 1st, 2025

In partnership with

friend!

I spent five years working in radio.

You’d think that meant I loved talking, right?

Truth is, I preferred hiding behind a script.

Back then, I was terrified of getting it wrong.
So I followed a formula: ask the right questions, write the perfect headline, get in and get out.

No room for emotion. No room for me.

But years later, when I started posting online… I hit a wall.

Every post felt forced. Empty. Forgettable.

That changed when I realized something that sounds obvious now:

The best stories aren’t big. They’re specific.

So I started doing something different.
I’d zoom in.

Not on the plot. Not the whole journey.
Just one moment.
One thing I saw, felt, or heard.

Like the time I trained someone who was getting a higher salary than me.
I won’t bore you with the details.
Just this one part:

He turned to me and said,
“You’re good at this. I bet you are well paid.”

I still remember the heat in my chest.

I still remember how it lit the fuse.

That’s how you tell stories that feel true
You tell the part that made you feel something.

Here’s how I teach this to my clients:

1. Zoom in on a moment
Think small: one quote, one feeling, one shift.

2. Highlight the tension
What did you realize or feel in that exact moment?

3. Thread it to your truth
Use that moment to teach your core idea or belief.

Try this next time you post or talk to your audience:

Don’t summarize your week.
Share one second that changed something.

That’s what people remember.

Stephen

PS: Want help pulling the right story out of your business journey?
Book a free 15-min story mapping call. I have some free slots starting September 9th. Reply and let me know.

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