Get Yourself Optimized® 513. Tell Better Stories with Sam Horn
May 15, 2025
Sam Horn, storytelling and communication expert who created the WWWAVE framework and runs the Maui Writers Conference. She shows how to turn updates into vivid scenes. Short hooks, dialogue, and emotion make stories stick. Learn where to find stories, how to tighten scenes, and which questions spark memorable anecdotes.
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Discipline Stories; Fast-Forward The Rest
- Tell only one scene per story to avoid asking too much of listeners and keep focus.
- Use "fast forward" to skip skippable parts while maintaining continuity between scenes.
Use Contrast, Pauses And Punchlines
- Use phrasing like "what you may not know" to highlight contrast and punchlines in a story.
- Pause and enunciate the turnaround to make the change land emotionally for the audience.
Make Lists Memorable With Word Crafting
- Craft lists with alliteration or deliberate phrasing to make qualities pop and stick in memory.
- Anticipate skeptics by acknowledging how crafted a list sounds with a light admission or joke.
