By Rob Cooney (@EMEducation)
The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don’t
By Carmine Gallo
Who doesn’t love a good story? Humans as a species are naturally wired to tune into and pay attention to stories. This is why we have seen a plethora of books written on the topic of storytelling. Business leaders, teachers, politicians- it seems like everyone wants to capitalize on this innate need to connect via stories. Mr. Gallo is a communication coach with other books dedicated to public speaking. In this book, he takes a step back to delve into the nuances of great storytellers.
The structure of the book is divided into segments. These focus on storytelling for different ends: inspiration, education, simplification, motivation, and about storytellers who launch movements. As you would expect, the book is written as a story about each storyteller. Each chapter ends with their “secret” that you can then consider for your own use. These are also summarized at the end and a checklist is provided as well.
One of my favorite parts about the book is that many of the speakers have been recorded telling their story. He frequently utilizes TED Talks as an example. Many times, I would set the book down and watch the speaker in action before moving on to the next story. I found this helpful to internalize the concepts better than simply reading the chapters. And what educator can’t appreciate Sir Ken Robinson?
Overall, 22 secrets are introduced to you as the reader. Pick and choose from these and utilize the checklist at the end. Your public presentations will dramatically improve, and your learners will thank you for it.
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