Book Notes - Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling by Matthew Dicks
Buy this book here.
After I read a non-fiction book, I try to document what I’ve learnt in Notion. I’ve covered my process in a video which you can watch below:
I’ll be reviewing this book using the same structure that I use in my Notion template.
Book in One Sentence
Competitive storyteller, Matthew Dicks, teaches the theory behind good storytelling and how to tell better stories.
The Five Big Ideas / What Stood Out
1 - Truth
Dicks believes that the key to a good story is to be honest, to be vulnerable. To tell a story that, “just might make them fall in love”.
When telling a story, it’s important to think about remaining natural. Are your hand gestures over the top? Are they real? A good test is to think about how you tell stories to your friends and family during dinner.
2 - Homework for Life
Dicks encourages readers to try “Homework for life”. This is not as onerous as it sounds. I’ve added this to my journal template in Notion. Essentially, homework for life involves writing down a brief story about your day. It’s not a lot of writing, just a sentence or two. The idea is to think about the most “storyworthy” moment from the day.
I find it hard sometimes. Some days, there isn’t a lot that happens. But searching each day makes me more likely to appreciate life. It isn’t essential to use Notion for this, Dicks writes his homework for life in a spreadsheet.
Another key component to homework for life, is to try and find a moment where there is change. There needs to be an instance of transformation or realisation or revelation. A great story needs to demonstrate change. Without change, it is just an anecdote.
3 - Five Key Strategies for Storytelling
It isn’t essential to use these strategies each time you tell a story, but the way that Dicks explained them was particularly helpful.
Elephant:
A method to demonstrate the stakes involved in the story. Ideally you would use this within the first 30 seconds of your story. I’ve included my own example below:
“I’m in the hospital and the doctor has asked me if I am happy to go ahead with the surgery.”
Backpack
A strategy designed to increase the audience’s anticipation of what is coming next. There are a few key elements to this strategy:
The audience needs to be curious about what is happening next;
The audience needs to feel the same emotion that the storyteller experienced in the moment that is going to be described
Dicks has changed the way I watch movies because now I see the backpack strategy being used all of the time. Each time characters regroup and make a new plan, the audience is given a new backpack.
Breadcrumbs
This strategy is used to create the maximum amount of wonder in the mind of your audience but doesn’t give too much away. Building on from the hospital example above, a breadcrumb might be:
“A nurse pushes a wheelchair into my room and leaves it near my bed. I know what I’m going to do next.”
Hourglass
Dicks advises that this strategy can be used by a storyteller to drag things out. It makes the audience hang on to every word. Ideally, you want to drag things out as long as possible.
“I look at the wheelchair. It is old. It isn’t electric. I wish it was. I push it slowly back and forth. It works. No issues. I think.”
I think this is a strategy that needs to be used carefully, especially in the context of YouTube videos. When making a YouTube video, I think it is important to deliver value as quickly as possible. This strategy could annoy the audience so should be treated with caution.
Crystal Ball
The final strategy, where the storyteller makes a false prediction about what is going to happen. It causes your audience to wonder if it will happen.
“As I was about to get onto the wheelchair, the door started to open. I was sure it was the doctor, coming to get me for my surgery.”
Dicks makes an excellent observation that this is one of the easiest strategies to use because of human nature. In life, we are constantly trying to guess what is about to happen next.
4 - The Theory of Humour and How to Use
I love a good joke and I try to find humour wherever I can. I think it’s important to not take life too seriously. I found the sections on humour really interesting because I’ve never thought about how to construct jokes.
Dicks believes that if you are telling a sad story, it is important to make your audience laugh first. When telling a story, the use of contrast cannot be underestimated. Contrast can be achieved by making your audience laugh prior to making them cry.
The other tip that Dicks provides regarding humour, is to use a list of three descriptors, in which the third descriptor, is nothing like the other two. This can lead to a big laugh. He provides an example by his favourite storyteller, Steve Zimmer. After Zimmer’s family is not invited to a neighbourhood event, they host their own family barbecue, with:
“Zimmers, pineapple-flavoured ham, and despair”
5 - Storytelling Logistics and Structure
Dicks recommends the use of present tense if you need to promote closeness with your audience, if you need to give distance, you should use past tense.
It is important to take care of your audience, to make sure that you tread carefully with those who are listening. Dicks offers a good rule of thumb, if the story content would be awkward to discuss with your parents or grandparents, then perhaps rethink it.
It is important to start your story strong and to end strong. Think about your opening sentence and obviously, your final sentence.
Key Takeaway for me and my life
The key to a good story is to demonstrate change. When you are telling a story you need to show how you changed.