The Storytelling Workout

This 8-week workout challenge will help you strengthen your storytelling skills in a fun, structured, and self-directed way.

How It Works

  1. Create the Habit
    • Dedicate 30 minutes per week to storytelling practice.
    • Follow these three steps:
      • Watch: Learn through a video or article.
      • Reflect: Answer these questions in a journal:
        • What’s your key takeaway?
        • How will you use this learning in your life?
      • Do: Complete a hands-on activity to apply what you’ve learned.
  2. Get a Buddy
    • Find a friend to join the challenge! Discuss insights, share feedback, and practice storytelling together. A buddy makes the journey more fun and keeps you accountable.
  3. Celebrate Progress
    • At the end of each week, take a moment to acknowledge your progress write down one thing you’re proud of!

Weekly Plan

Week 1: Why Tell Stories?

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • Why do you think storytelling is important?
  • How could you use stories in your daily life or work?

Do:

  • Create a Story Database: Write down 5 stories from your life, work, or things you’ve read or heard. That could be used to elicit different emotions.
  • Pick one story and apply this framework:
    1. A Hero
    2. Encounters a Roadblock | Challenge
    3. Emerges Transformed | Change

Week 2: Simplicity

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • What are the key elements of simplicity in communication?
  • How does simplicity make ideas more memorable?

Do:

  • Think of an idea you want to share. Use this framework to explain it:
    1. What if: Introduce the possibility. Excite
    2. How it is: Explain the current situation. Disturb
    3. What could be: Show the transformation. Assure

Week 3: Story Structure

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • What makes a good story structure?
  • How can structure help engage your audience?

Do:

  • Brainstorm: Come up with a Character, Emotion, Location, and Goal.
  • Use one of the frameworks (Pixar Story Spine or And/But/Therefore) to craft a short story.

Week 4: Turn Data into a Narrative

Watch:

Reflect:

  • How do data stories differ from other types of storytelling?
  • What makes an insight compelling enough to create an “aha moment”?

Do:

  • Use Brent Dykes’ data storytelling framework to create a compelling data-driven story:
    1. Hook: Capture your audience’s attention with an interesting fact, question, or surprising insight.
    2. Raising Insights: Present the data in a way that builds curiosity and engagement.
    3. Aha Moment: Reveal a key insight or discovery that changes how the audience sees the problem.
    4. Solution: Offer a clear and actionable solution based on the data.
    5. Next Steps: End with a call to action or recommendations for moving forward.

Week 5: Storytelling with Data

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • What makes data storytelling impactful?
  • How does context shape the story behind the data?

Do:

  • Choose a dataset or a simple chart. Create a story around it using this structure:
  1. Set-Up: What’s the context or question?
  2. Conflict: What’s the challenge or insight?
  3. Resolution: What action or conclusion follows?

Week 6: Choosing the Right Charts

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • Why does the choice of chart matter?
  • How can you simplify data visuals for clarity?

Do:

  • Find some data (e.g., your daily habits, survey results, or a public dataset).
  • Draw 2-3 simple charts to communicate the insights effectively.

Week 7: Understanding Your Audience

  • Watch:

Reflect:

  • How does the audience influence your storytelling?
  • What’s the value of tailoring your style to different contexts?

Do:

Think about a topic you’re familiar with and practice explaining it in three different ways:

  1. For a 5-year-old (Kids TV): Use simple language, vivid examples, and make it fun and engaging.
  2. For your mum: Relate it to everyday experiences or situations she’s familiar with.
  3. For someone familiar with the topic: Dive deeper into specifics, use technical terms, and provide insights they might not already know.

Week 8: Communicating Ideas with Visuals

  • Watch:
Image by Sketchplanations from the Book Made To Stick

Reflect:

  • What makes visuals effective in storytelling?
  • How can visuals simplify complex ideas?

Do:

  • Draw a simple sketch or diagram to explain an idea, concept, or process.
  • Bonus: Share it with someone and see if they understand the idea from your visual!

Tips for Success

  • Make it Fun: Turn the activities into a creative game, experiment and play!
  • Document Your Journey: Use a notebook or digital journal to track reflections, stories, and progress.
  • Iterate: Go back to previous weeks and improve your work as you learn.
  • Share: Don’t be afraid to tell your stories to friends, colleagues, or online communities.