Storytelling is an important skill that will help you captivate your listeners and form good relationships, especially if you’re in a new city and want to make friends. We often seek out tips and tricks to improve our storytelling, but sometimes, the best way to learn is to see what to avoid. Below are examples of bad storytelling.
Bad storytelling can make your audience feel bored, confused, or even annoyed.
Here is an example. “So I was at the store, and I saw this really cool shirt. I was like, ‘I have to have that!’ But then I realized that I didn’t have enough money, so I put it back.” This story is boring and doesn’t really go anywhere. It describes a very common and mundane experience that does not have much emotional content. The only way it would be interesting is if it is a reference to some earlier event or inside joke. In such a case, it behooves the storyteller to give the necessary context.
It can make it seem like you’re not really interested in the story you’re telling.
An example of this would be if you start a story but then get sidetracked and start talking about something else entirely. This will make your audience lose interest quickly, as they will feel like you’re not really invested in the story you’re trying to tell. It’s important to stay focused and on track when telling a story, in order to keep your audience engaged. Have confidence and give your story a fair shot. If you are getting glaring signals that people want you to change the subject, you should probably oblige, but that should be the only exception.
You can come off as insensitive or even mean.
If you’re telling a story about someone you don’t like and you make fun of them or their appearance, it will come across as rude and insensitive. It’s important to be respectful when telling stories, even if the subject matter is not particularly flattering. Otherwise, the audience will lose interest in you as a person and think you are a bad storyteller.
The story seems unimportant or unbelievable.
For example, if you’re telling a story about something that happened to you but you can’t remember the details, it will make the story seem unimportant. Similarly, if you’re telling a story that is clearly not true, it will make you seem untrustworthy. It’s important to be honest and clear when telling stories, so that your audience knows that what you’re saying is true and important. The more specific details you include, the clearer and more relatable the story will be for the audience. It is one of the easiest ways to avoid bad storytelling.
Avoid Bad Storytelling
There any many pitfalls to avoid, but with practice, you can avoid bad storytelling and thus become a great storyteller.