How to Tell a Story

The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

By: The Moth, Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, Padma Lakshmi - introduction, Chenjerai Kumanyika - introduction

Narrated by: Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Suzanne Rust, Chloe Salmon, Kate Tellers

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, drawing on twenty-five years of experience from the storytelling experts at The Moth

“From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.”—CNN

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.

Now, with How to Tell a Story, The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Tig Notaro, Boots Riley, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.

Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy, ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential. Sharing secrets of The Moth’s time-honed process and using examples from beloved storytellers, a team of Moth directors will show you how to

• mine your memories for your best stories
• explore structures that will boost the impact of your story
• deliver your stories with confidence
• tailor your stories for any occasion

Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.

Critic reviews

Praise for How to Tell a Story

“Fans of nonprofit storytelling organization The Moth, which, since 1997, has presented 50,000-plus stories, won a Peabody Award for its The Moth Radio Hour and boasts a popular eponymous podcast, will be drawn to this guide to, yep, telling stories. From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.”—CNN

“True to its title, How to Tell a Story is a wonderfully practical and thoughtful guide to turning your own experiences and epiphanies into engaging tales. The book is very Moth-centric—‘Moth stories are true and told out loud, in the first person’—but there’s also advice about telling stories during job interviews, business presentations and toasts. Everything here could be easily adapted by classroom teachers or (one can hope) by relatives you see once a year at Thanksgiving.”—The Washington Post

“Inspiring . . . This book . . . provides everything readers need to share their own personal narratives.”—Booklist



Praise for The Moth

“There are many reasons I feel compelled to tell stories. Without stories, the past starts to mush together. And that makes me very anxious. Creating stories is a way for me to make sense of life. The Moth will help you tell great stories.”—Roz Chast, New Yorker staff cartoonist

"The Moth changed my brain in the best possible way. Working with their amazing directors, I learned how to share my story in an authentic and powerful way that I now use almost every day as a teacher, author, and speaker. Now, that’s some brain-changing magic!”—Dr. Wendy Suzuki, author and professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University

Fabulous Tips!

Overall great, but the section on the differences in telling a story on paper vs a live audience was outstanding; we know there’s a difference in written and spoken stories and now we know of wonderful examples to drive home the lessons.

Like listening to old friends

I recommend this to anyone. Listen:
-If you want to tell a story
-if you have to give a speech
-if you have trouble finding the right words to say the things that you feel
-if you want to make a connection to loved ones
-if you want to share with others what’s important
-if you’re a human

The power of stories to heal & transform people!

This storytelling extravaganza has re-doubled my belief in the raw power of story. Great job of conveying the importance of everyone knowing that their life is there story and their story is there Superpower. Keep up the amazing mission of hope and healing through effective storytelling.

Great stories - maybe too many

This was a great book about storytelling and it gave a lot of good stories. It felt a little disjointed because all of the stories covered each topic. I think I process information in a more linear fashion, so I wanted to hear the tips discussed more succinctly. The stories were great, but they were about so many different topics so I felt a little lost sometimes. Overall, a great book with great stories.

Mixed Feelings

The steps for telling a great story are beneficial to storytellers in any situation. Though the book highlights how these steps are used in Moth storytelling they can be adapted to your situation. The snippets of real storytellers often leave you wanting to hear the rest of the story. The downside of the audio version is that there are so many tips you would have to take notes in order to get the most benefit from the book. The hard copy would be a better choice. Another downside is that so many of the stories are left-leaning stories. I expected that but toward the end, it became somewhat annoying. However, don't let that keep you from learning how to tell a story. Conservatives have great stories to tell too.