A Storytelling Guide for Those Who Stink at Storytelling

The site recently presented storytelling guru David Crabb’s simple five-beat plan to turn any meandering series of events into a tight and compelling story. What are these five essential parts of a spellbinding tale:

Beat 1: The introduction. Where you set the scene and tell your readers everything they need to know to understand why what you’re about to say is important.

Beat 2: The inciting incident. The question that your story is asking OR when the protagonist (you or your company) is faced with a challenge. This is a great place to show vulnerability; people are often wary of doing this in professional scenarios, but it makes a big impact when it’s done well.

Beat 3: Raising the stakes. A series of moments that give weight and context to the inciting incident. This is a great place to get specific and provide details that will make your story more memorable. People glaze over when you focus too much on broad strokes; details give your story a local habitation and a name.

Beat 4: The main event. This is where we see the inciting incident come to a head (aka the climax)… the protagonist solves his or her dilemma -; a pivot or a change (even if it’s just a shift in attitude) should occur.

Beat 5: The resolution. In the fifth beat, you have an opportunity to highlight what makes the story unique. If you’ve just described a failure or challenge, this would be the time to reflect on what you learned. This is also where you could try to sell something -; if you’re using storytelling as part of a pitch -; or recap your competency if applying for a job.