Issue Date: January 18, 2004

ADVICE

In this article:
How storytelling can help you

You can be a great storyteller
Everyday life is all the fodder you need, a professional raconteur says. And believe it or not, learning to spin a good yarn can help you in surprising ways.

By Laura Shin

The word "storyteller" may conjure up images of ancient tribesmen spinning folk tales around a campfire. But remember the toast you gave at your best friend's wedding? The ice-breaking intro you used on your last conference call? The joke you told at work?

Those are all examples of storytelling, says Joel ben Izzy, a professional storyteller for 20 years and the author of a new memoir, "The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness" (Algonquin Books, $22.95). "I think people often overlook stories," says ben Izzy, who also teaches storytelling at Pixar Animation Studios, the masterminds behind innovative animated films such as "Finding Nemo," which is likely to be nominated for an Oscar. "In everyday life we're too busy rushing around to stop and realize the story we're in."

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Banks, law firms and technology companies pay ben Izzy top dollar to come in and teach his techniques, and not just to enliven their water-cooler banter. Here are his tips on how storytelling can help you:

Succeed at the office
When preparing a presentation or just trying to make a point, always look at the big picture, ben Izzy says. "Then come up with a story that will shed light on that picture." To best connect with your audience, take a simple scenario -- something most of your colleagues can relate to -- add humor, and pay attention to the listeners' reactions. And most important, take time to clear your mind before you speak, he says, and you'll avoid rambling on and on with a story that works like Nyquil: "Most people go off on really dull tangents and put others to sleep." Storytelling Rule No. 1: Beforehand, give yourself some time and silence.

Impress in an interview
Instead of reciting your résumé at your umpteenth job interview, sell yourself with a good yarn. "Look back to the moment when you got the passion to do that job," says ben Izzy, whose essay in his application to Stanford included a story about someone who, when looking back on his life, considers what it might have been if he hadn't taken risks. (He got in.) "If you're in an interview for med school, you can say, 'Let me tell you about when I first discovered I wanted to be a doctor.' " It will punctuate your interest in the field while making you a more multidimensional candidate. Storytelling Rule No. 2: Remember what your audience's interests are.

Score points on a first date
Take the advice of a man who is happily married with two children: Don't give a play-by-play of your last failed relationship. But do illuminate choice aspects of your life with colorful, detailed anecdotes. "If you're talking about seeing the moon rise over Machu Picchu, talk about the reflection of the moon in a puddle of water," ben Izzy says. "Help someone feel as though they were there, seeing what you saw or hearing what you heard." Storytelling Rule No. 3: Include rich sensory images in your story, but don't get lost in the details.

Give a terrific toast
Because you're usually raising a glass for a special event, think of your tale as the end of one narrative and the start of another. "You should reflect back to the past and build a bridge to the future," ben Izzy says. "You could say, 'When I first met David, we were both working in Boston at the same company, and we bumped into each other on the subway, and I noticed he was reading a book of poetry. We got to talking about the book, and in fact it's a book I've come to love. Here's a poem from that book.' " Storytelling Rule No. 4: Zoom in. Start with a general picture of a time and a place, then move to a detailed one.

Face life's challenges
Six years ago, ben Izzy was diagnosed with thyroid cancer -- and that wasn't even the bad part. Surgery easily cured the cancer, but ben Izzy lost his voice -- and his job and passion. Though he moped a lot at first, he eventually began looking at his problem as an interesting story, and taking the step back helped him think about it constructively. "So many times when we're sick, depressed, lonely and miserable, we think we're this single, isolated person," he says. "But telling it as a story, you become a character in your story. Without bad things happening to your heroes, you've got a pretty boring story." An experimental surgery finally brought his voice back, and he is again giving performances, lectures and book readings. But the year of silence taught him a good lesson: that being on the receiving end of stories is just as important. Final rule of storytelling: Know the ending, and when you get there, stop.