How To Tell Great Stories At A Party.

Instructions


1.
Step 1

Know your audience. If you're surrounded by a group of females, chances are they will not want to hear about your amazing late season comeback in your keeper fantasy football league.

2.
Step 2

Start with a bang. This is called the hook. If you don't grab an audience within the first ten seconds, you will most likely lose them forever.

3.
Step 3

Use only pertinent details in telling your story. Too much information adds unnecessary length. The average person's attention span is under one minute.

4.
Step 4

Avoid tangents and stay focused. If a part of your story entails you tripping over your dog, don't get distracted and start talking about how your dog got sick that morning.

5.
Step 5

Avoid repeating yourself. Chances are that people heard you the first time and a storyteller may fall into this trap especially if a segment of their story gets a big laugh. Nothing is more lethal to a narrative than repetition.

6.
Step 6

Respond to audience reactions. If you see people looking disinterested or in other directions, it's time to pick up the pace.

7.
Step 7

Learn from the past. It's important to recognize what aspects of your story got the most laughs or reactions in previous tellings.

8.
Step 8

Embellish as necessary. Most of your friends have already heard all your stories anyway. There's nothing wrong with a little enhancement.