Storytelling Fundamentals: 5 TED Talks To Make You A Better Storyteller

Who doesn’t love some great TED talks? These bite-size snippets of storytelling goodness have enthusiastic fans here at ECHO. There are also some great storytelling secrets tucked away in many TED talks. Here are some of our favourites that will help make you a better storyteller.

1. Andrew Stanton, The Clues to a Great Story

Perhaps the key TED talk on storytelling, this insight into Pixar’s addictively successful stories is basic training for storytellers. Starting with the golden rule – make your audience care – this is 20 minutes of major storytelling takeaways.

2. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story

If you’re not yet convinced of the power of story, watch this. Although stories can often be an inspiring force for positive change, they can also be destructive when they devolve into stereotype. Even in the face of contrary evidence, the human brain can refuse to let go of a particular story.

3. Joe Sabia, The Technology of Storytelling

Echo got its start as a publisher of personal memoirs and coffee table books. We’re still staffed by bibliophiles. However, we’ve come to realize that story is bigger than the biggest bestseller and more enduring than the heaviest tome. This talk about how story interacts with technology is a fascinating look at human ingenuity and our overwhelming compulsion to tell a story.

4. Brené Brown, The Power of Vulnerability

Brown’s incredible talk on vulnerability has greater application to storytelling than you might realize. The discussion of shame and connection is at the root of great storytelling, because great story foments connection. The first TED talk on this list was about making the audience care; this one is about caring for yourself. Brown’s challenge to let yourself be seen as your authentic self is at the root of powerful storytelling.

5. Dave Isay, Everyone Around You Has a Story the World Needs to Hear

Filmed just a short distance from Echo’s Vancouver HQ, this TED talk is about the powerful democracy of story. We all have stories, yet so many people dismiss theirs as uninteresting and irrelevant. They’re wrong. In our 15 years of business, we’ve told the stories of real estate agents, lawyers, accountants and yogis. Every one has proved to be totally engrossing. Your story is one of the most amazing things about you.

We all have the capability to be an incredible storyteller. Be inspired to tell your story. It’s your secret sauce.