316: Micro Motivator: The Easiest Way to Tell More Stories at Work

Think you’re bad at storytelling at work? You might just be doing it backwards.

In this Micro Motivator, Erin shares the simple storytelling mistake that makes job interviews, presentations, and workplace communication way harder than they need to be.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to find the right story without forcing it
• Why your best stories can do more heavy lifting than you think
• How to make storytelling at work feel natural, not painfully rehearsed

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DISCLAIMER: This episode is not explicit, though contains mild swearing that may be unsuitable for younger audiences.

Tweetable Comments

“People don't care how long it takes as long as they're engaged.”

“Stories aren't selfish.”

“I would argue that all stories have branches like a tree, and they have many different points they can make.”

“Your life is just a collection of stories. Now, go tell them.”

The Easiest Way to Tell More Stories at Work

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Storytelling at work doesn’t have to feel forced or rehearsed. In this Micro Motivator, Erin shares why stories are so effective in workplace communication, the common mistake people make when trying to find the “right” story, and a simple way to build a story library you can use for job interviews, presentations, meetings, and more.

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Why We Avoid Telling Stories at Work

Erin: Stories are remembered far more effectively than facts and figures. And yes, I realize the irony of starting that statement with a fact.

There are a lot of reasons people avoid telling stories at work. Maybe you think you’re not a good storyteller. Maybe you don’t think you have any good stories. But one of the biggest reasons is that people assume stories take too much time.

You think, “People don’t have time to listen to a long story. It’ll be faster if I just get to the point.”

But people generally don’t care how long something takes if they’re engaged.

Stories Aren’t Selfish

Erin: Stories also aren’t selfish. When you tell a story, the people listening start riding sidecar next to you.

If you talk about your brother, they may start thinking about their sister. If you tell a story from high school, they start remembering their own experiences from high school.

A story might technically be about you, but the listener naturally connects it to their own life. Storytelling becomes a shared experience.

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The Storytelling Mistake Most People Make

Erin: Here’s the mistake I see people make when they’re preparing for something like a job interview or a big presentation: they start with the scenario and then try to think of a story that fits it.

That is hard. Our brains aren’t really wired to work that way.

Instead, start by creating a story library.

That’s really just a fancy word for a list. It could live in a notebook, on your phone, or even in your head. Start by identifying about 10 stories you know well.

Some might be funny stories from your personal life. Others might come from your career. Some might simply be everyday experiences that can become metaphors or analogies.

One Story Can Make Many Different Points

Erin: Here’s where the magic happens: most stories don’t have only one point.

Think of a story like a tree with multiple branches. Maybe you went shopping and had an interesting customer experience. That one experience could become a story about customer service, packaging, positioning, communication, expectations, or dozens of other things.

Even something as simple as pulling weeds in your garden could become a metaphor for persistence, solving recurring problems, getting to the root cause, or dealing with something you thought you had already fixed.

When you begin with stories you already know, storytelling becomes much easier. You’re not inventing something on the spot. You’re taking an experience you’re comfortable talking about and deciding which point you want it to illustrate.

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How to Use a Story Library in Job Interviews

Erin: Job interviews are a perfect example. Instead of trying to predict every question an interviewer might ask, prepare your top stories from your career.

Each story can probably demonstrate several different things depending on how you frame it: leadership, problem-solving, communication, resilience, teamwork, conflict, innovation, or growth.

That also helps you sound more natural. You’re telling a story you genuinely know instead of trying to force a rehearsed answer into a question you hoped they would ask.

Your life is just a collection of stories. Now go tell them.