The Art of Storytelling workshop by Janani Arumugam

I had a chance to attend the "Art of Storytelling" workshop conducted by Toastmaster Janani Arumugam. Here are some key takeaways from the workshop:

1. A great story doesn't "inform", it "illuminates".

2. Story isn't a report or a set of facts. It's a human experience, arranged in a way that makes another human feel something.

3. A Standford study says "Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts".

4. A story does 3 things that our brain loves:

• neural coupling (where the brain activity of a speaker and listener becomes synchronized) 
• dopamine release (when the brain encounters an emotionally charged, suspenseful, or surprising story, it releases dopamine)
• meaning sticks (the brain processes the story as if it were a real-life experience rather than mere information)

5. Thirukkural is popular even today because each kural is a small story with a big message.

6. What should a good story have?

• Characters
• Conflicts
• Context
• Data/Truth
• Emotions 
• A Point / Message

If there is no "tension" in the story, then there is no "attention" from the audience.

7. How do you tell a powerful story?

A powerful story should have specifics, sensory details, human voice, tension and a moment of character

8. Techniques to improve the impact of the story:

• Start in the middle of action
• Use sensory language (sound, smell, touch etc.,)
• Give your character a voice
• Use the pause (Use silence for audience to lean-in to listen to your message / thought)
• Land Emotion before the Lesson (include reflections before the takeaway)

9. Don't tell them I'm going to tell you a story. Rather, just start with the story "It was Saturday... 10 am... My phone kept continuously ringing".

10. Instead of telling a dozen of half-baked stories... have 2 or 3 impactful stories to share with people.

11. Create a loop, end where you began (Connect the introduction + conclusion)

12. If the moral of the story needs three paragraphs, then it's not a moral... it's a meeting agenda.

13. The story can be local, but make the message universal,.

14. The story may end, but the moral walks out with the audience.