Over the years I’ve learned and taught quite a bit about storytelling, but there has been one secret I held close to the vest. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to share it but I needed a story that would illustrate it.
What I learned from Keith Harrell
It all started when I watched a video of my favorite speaker, the late Keith Harrell (if you have not seen him, you must). He told a story about having a stuttering problem when he was in Kindergarten (5 years old). The teacher called on him to say his name and he couldn’t. He stuttered and couldn’t even finish his name and the kids laughed.
He ran home (about two miles) and his mother was waiting for him on the front porch. She hugged him and told him that she was proud because at least he tried. And she said, “One day my little baby’s gonna stand tall, and you’re gonna say your name as loud and as well as all the other boys and girls.” Keith then turns to the audience and says, “She told me that over 40 years ago…I think she was talking about today.” Then he looks out at the audience and says, “I’d like to take a moment to finish something my mother told me one day I’d be able to do.” He faces the audience completely and says, “My name is Keith David Harrell.”
I have never been touched so much by a story and every time I watch it, I go through the same emotions. So, as a speaker, I eventually asked, “Why? Why does his story touch me so much?” It took some time but then I figured it out. It’s because the story ends today.
Make Your Story End Today
Keith’s story didn’t end years ago or months ago like most speakers’ stories. Instead, it ended right there on the stage that day when he said, “I think she was talking about today. I’d like to take a moment to finish something my mother told me one day I’d be able to do. My name is Keith David Harrell.” The story finished right there in front of that audience. That audience became the Kindergarten class only 40 years later. That audience became the ones to witness Keith’s triumph over his obstacle and they experienced that triumph with him…that day.
Once I realized what he did, I knew it was time for me to tell the “turning point” story that I had hesitated to tell for 9 years. When you have an event that dramatically and instantly alters the course of your life, it can be a challenge to make sure the audience “gets” how much it means to you. But, using this “Make your story end today” tool, my story came alive.
My Turning Point Story
Listen to this story and see if you can see how it ends today rather than years ago or months ago. See if you can figure out how the audience actually becomes a part of my journey rather than just listening to what happened to me way back when.
Note: This story is 5 minutes and 57 seconds long (2-3 minutes longer than most of my stories). Please don’t read on until you finish listening to the story.
Takeaway
How did my story end today? It was the moment I said, “I was supposed to find you…just in case you need a sign.” Many of my audiences begin clapping right then and there and “feel” that they are a part of my journey. And guess what? They are! I believe what I say with 100% conviction. And then the final line comes as a call-back to what the lady said to me. “Good luck living your dreams.”
Caveat
I do not recommend using this tool more than once per speech. In other words, only use it with one story. Chances are it might end up being your closing story. That’s a great time to use it because it brings emotion into the room and ends your speech on a high.
Your Turn
Think about one story that you either already tell or plan to tell and see if you can find a way to make that story end today. Can you share it here?
Story did not open on iPhone
Hi Jill, please try again, allowing a little time for the audio to load on your iPhone. It worked for me.
Regards,
Tina
Craig, that is a powerful way to create a story. I love it. It’s perfect and connects you to the audience and giving them permission to use you as their inspiration, motivation.
It’s got me thinking about how to do that and how I kind of need to bring together a few of my stories/points to craft something like that. It also has me thinking about the keynote for which it would work best.
So, first I’m thinking about how I can build a new keynote around personal “communication power” as the key to unlimited success in whatever field someone is in. It’s my belief that the one skill that impacts a person’s level of success in whatever endeavor is directly related to someone’s communication capabilities.
And, with that new keynote, I can do something very similar with where I learned about how my lack of communication power caused me to struggle early in my career and how I learned the power of communication and how I could change my style.
Lots of thoughts and stories running through my head that I need to figure out how to bring it all together, but, regardless, this has inspired me to work on it for a new keynote offering in 2018. Thanks!
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When I heard this story today the ending gave me goosebumps.. that is the effect it has.
Love it! Great idea – very do-able!
OMG That touched my soul. I did almost the same thing. Except I haven’t found my dream yet. Thank you for that wonderful tip.
I hope some day I can touch many souls like you instead of just a few.
Hi Craig, I am just starting my Toastmasters journey here in sunny Brisbane, Australia, and am thinking about a topic for my second speech. I love the idea of ending today, but am not sure how to craft this. Below are my initial thoughts for a topic. Any feedback welcome, Thank you. Regards, Karen
The Meaning of Life:
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “the meaning of life”?
From a psychologist’s point of view, it could be described in terms of fulfillment, happiness and contribution to something bigger than yourself. Philosophers have shared many ideas over the years. Plato described the meaning of life as attaining the highest form of knowledge. Nietzsche espoused the importance of goals in attaining a meaningful life. Whilst, from an evolutionist’s viewpoint, it could simply be to propagate and pass on your DNA to the next generation. Alternatively, perhaps Douglas Adams was right, and the answer is 42!
Last night, whilst sitting at the “Junk Bar” listening to a friend captivate the audience with his guitar and vocals, and soaking in the wonderful atmosphere, I started musing on what I felt was important, and what was the meaning of my life. And that is when it came to me. For me, the meaning of life is creativity; to be able to create something new.
Some creativity is obvious – the ability to create music, art, design buildings, write engaging literature; and over the years this type of creativity has been celebrated in diverse cultures. Personally, having stood in front of art works such as Michelangelo’s “David”, Monet’s “Water lilies” and the Cambodian temples at Ankor Wat, and being astounded at their beauty, it is easy to be in awe of such creativity.
Listening to your favourite music, whether it be Mozart, ABBA or Wolfmother, it is easy to appreciate the talent of the musicians behind these pieces.
But what if we are no Picasso and couldn’t sing to save our life? Are we destined to a life without meaning?
Creativity is not simply art and music. It is defined as “the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness.” Each of us has the potential to create something new. It could be creating a delicious meal; a new business; a story; a beautiful home; or simply creating a moment to be treasured.
But how many of us would be bold enough to put our creations out on display and risk criticism?
Everyday I see my children creating games and imaginary worlds. They are not afraid to create mediocre pieces of art or music, as we cheer them on, rather than judge them. Imagine a world where every time we created something new it was celebrated. For surely this is what we are here for – to add to the beauty of the world with our individual creativity, what ever that means for us. If we had no fear of failure and judgement, what would we be capable of?
So what will you create today? What will be your legacy? What will be the meaning of your life? Today I am here, sharing my creation with you. Today my creation is this speech. By sharing my words, I hope to keep improving my skills until perhaps one day, I will have created a legacy I can be proud of. So thank you for being here and helping me take a step towards finding the meaning of my life.
This is a neat idea Craig! I’m working on a talk about how speakers can (and should) make each speech actionable, and this fits really well with that. (One of the three tips I share is “Help people make your talk their own.” Ending your story today would be a great help on that score, as it makes the story a springboard for audience action.)
In a way, this even reminds me of Jamie Oliver’s TED talk, where you might say he “scaled a statistic to today.” (In other words, he quoted the obesity-related death rate not as an annual figure, but as the number of people who’d die in the 18 minutes of his talk.)
Anyway, I just watched a couple of Keith Harrell videos on YouTube, and loved that he RAN to the stage! I’ve never seen anyone do that before, yet it’s a great way to show you’re keen to be there, and to engage people straight away. So thanks for recommending his work.
Craig, this is amazing and definitely a tool that I will utilise in my speeches. Your tools and lessons are such an invaluable source. Thankyou so much!!