This is a short book that focuses mostly on ways to better tell stories about yourself. It isn't really about career building and it also isn't about telling funny stories at casual social events, but the tips and principles could well be applied to either situation. It was thought-provoking and has some cool writing exercises at the end that I'm looking forward to trying.

NOTES:

One of the key findings from the study 'Do You Know?' was that the more a child knows his family's 'story'- in other words, the better informed he is about his wider family and obsatcles they have overcome in order to survive and thrive- the 'stronger a child's sense of control over his life, the higher his self-esteem'. p 12

"No story can succeed without a proper understanding of context." p 13

"All good stories possess structure. They have a beginning, middle and end." p 13

Some tips that stood out:
1. Tell your story as if telling it to a friend no matter who the audience is
2. 'Hand over the spark'- share the specific experience that originally captivated you and started you on this journey
3. Be vulnerable and willing to share the emotions you've felt at specific times
4. Choose a sense (sometimes stories have smells, sights, textures)
5. Gleaming detail- use a detail to embody the essence of the overall experience

"All great stories possess this moment of conscious choice and deliberation." p 53

It's important to find a "vulnerability about the central character that will compel us to engage with the story. It also has to be a universal truth- one we can relate to in our own lives." p 56

"Real adventure is defined best as a journey from which you may not come back alive, and certainly not as the same person." -Yvon Chouinard

"Be amusing, never tell unkind stories; above all, never tell long ones." -Benjamin Disraeli