Storyworthy Book Review

“Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Power of Storytelling” by Matthew Dicks.

This is an entertaining book from an award-winning storyteller. I enjoyed his stories which were so good they occasionally overshadowed the lessons!

If you want to improve your storytelling, from the dinner table to a TED talk this book is for you.

Stories are about transformation

The main hypothesis is that good stories portray change over time.

They are not simply a chain of interesting events. You must start out as one version of yourself and end as something new.

The greatest stories ever told are about a 5-second moment in someone’s life being brought to great clarity.

Your story

Tell your own story, not other people’s stories.

If you must, then tell their story but from your point of view and make sure you are the protagonist undergoing the change as a result.

Homework for life

Stories are all around you. To discover yours, take a moment every day to ask yourself; If I had to tell a 5-minute story on stage what event from today would I pick?

Write this down and you will build an endless source of stories. You will also end up with an amazing record of all the key events in your life which are shaping you.

Conversations about the weather

My favourite quote from the book:

“Conversations about the weather are the antithesis of an entertaining, connected, meaningful world. They are the death of good conversation. They are the enemy of the interesting. My humble suggestion: Avoid these conversations at all costs. Change the subject. Do not engage. Walk away if necessary. You will be the happier, and the more interesting, for it.”

Everyone wants to tell better stories, so go grab this book!