The story of life is the best briefing - five insights I gained from reading "Please Start Telling Your Story"
Once, I asked the students in an internal training class of a company: “Do you remember the last time you were persuaded by someone, was it because of data or a story?” After the audience was quiet for three seconds, almost everyone nodded and said, “It’s a story.” This simple question reveals the core of the nature of human communication: emotional connection is far more powerful than rational persuasion. And this is also the reason why I opened the book “Please start telling your story”.
[This book](https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0011015092?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&u tm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202505) is not only a practical manual that teaches you how to tell stories, it is also a love letter to every modern person, a letter that encourages us to face ourselves, reveal our truth, and touch the world with our own voice. Written by five core lecturers of The Moth Organization, they seemed to have walked all the way from the stage, radio or classroom, whispering in their ears: “It’s not that you don’t have a story, you just don’t know how to say it yet?”
As a senior content creator, corporate lecturer and educator, I have helped others refine their stories all year round, but I also looked back at myself again in this book. The following are five keys to the power of stories that I deeply felt from the book. Each realization shined a light at a certain point in my life.
1. Telling stories is about getting to know yourself
There is a sentence in the book that touches people’s hearts: “You don’t need to be a writer to be a storyteller, your own story is enough.” This sentence is not only inspiring, but also a reminder - we often underestimate the road we have traveled, thinking that the daily necessities, the bitterness and sweetness of the workplace, or the emotional entanglements are not exciting enough and not worth writing about. But in fact, it is these ordinary and real daily life that can form the most appealing narrative foundation.
I still remember that a few years ago, I organized “Writing Class for Adults” with Orange Generation, a subsidiary of United Daily News, with the purpose of hoping I hope to encourage adults over the age of fifty to write their own life chapters… Originally some students were worried that their writing skills were not good, so they hesitated to move forward. However, it later turned out that they were worried too much, because everyone’s stories were quite exciting, and I learned a lot from them.
Writing is the best way to talk to yourself. In addition to talking to yourself, through words, you can record the most important people and things in your life and pass on the beautiful memories.
The book introduces the technique of “memory exploration” and encourages us to start from our own experience and find those key fragments that change the trajectory of our lives. You may still remember the first time you stood on the podium, the first time you left your comfort zone to study abroad, the first time you struggled with ideals and reality until you had sleepless nights - these moments not only shape who you are, but also contain your truest values and motivations.
In a leadership course for mid-level and senior executives in the technology industry, I once led students to conduct a simple exercise: asking them to draw three story lines in their lives, namely “success stories”, “failure stories”, and “stories of learning from difficulties.” One student said that she originally thought her story was boring, but when she began to tell how she took on the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings in a single-parent family and was finally admitted to a national university, the whole class was silent for a long time, and then burst into applause. At that moment, she not only saw herself again, but also redefined herself.
This book teaches us to tell stories, but more importantly, it teaches us to hear our own inner voice. When you start to discover what you are working for, you are actually building an identity that is more powerful than your title.
2. Stories are more powerful than experiences
On many occasions, we are often asked: “What projects have you done? What achievements have you made?” We are used to answering with resumes, but resumes can only describe the results, but cannot describe the struggles and choices in the process. And what really resonates and leaves an impression is often the protagonist in the story - you.
“[Please start telling your story](https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0011015092?utm_source=vista&utm_me dium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202505)” reminds us that a touching story must have three elements: “stakes”, “emotional transition” and “character growth”. When you just say “I completed a certain project,” that’s just information transmission; but when you say, “This project was actually a mess when I took it over, and I had just been promoted to supervisor at the time. Facing the pressure from my supervisor and the suspicion of my subordinates, I doubted whether I could carry it on several times.” These clues are woven into a story, because the listener can empathize, enter your situation, and walk with you through the turning points of life.
Not only do I teach copywriting, I also teach presentation classes. For example, I assisted a senior manager of a multinational company to rewrite the content of the briefing, from “I coordinated the implementation of the new system within three months” to “I coordinated meetings with seven departments every week for three months. Faced with rejection and questioning at the beginning, and even a quarrel that almost got out of control on the spot, I learned how to reconcile the positions of different departments…” This transformation made the entire briefing more vivid and three-dimensional, and also allowed people to see that he was not just an executor, but a leader who could transform conflicts under pressure.
Character arc Let people remember what you have done and “how” you did it - this is the most powerful persuasion of personal value and professional image.
3. You are remembered because of the stories you told.
In an age of information explosion, we receive tens of thousands of words of information every day, but what can be remembered is often a story that made us cry, laugh, or shock us. Think about it carefully, why is TED Conference Speech so popular around the world? Because it uses stories as its core structure, it wraps knowledge in emotional sugar-coating, allowing us to both learn and remember.
One of the techniques shared in the book is: “Open with suspense.” Don’t start with a background explanation, but start with a scene that breaks expectations. For example: “I was disappointed on the first day of college and immediately decided to drop out - but I still completed four years of classes.” Such an opening will make the audience suspicious and curious: Why do you think so? Why did you stay? This is a good opening, it creates emotional tension and draws people into the drama.
In addition to suspense, the sense of imagery is also an important element of story power. I once heard a teacher tell the story of how she recovered from her emotional pain by running after falling out of love. She didn’t say, “I was in pain, and then running healed me.” She said, “At 4:30 in the morning, I was wearing running shoes that were not completely dry, and I was running in the drizzle, crying at the same time…” Oh, that image immediately caught my eye and touched my heart.
By the way, are there any images in your story? Is there a sentence that the listener will think “I understand this” after listening to it? If there is, that is enough. Because what really leaves an impression is never an incisive argument, but the resonance of the situation and emotion.
4. Brave imperfection is the true building of trust
To be honest, we have been trained by this world to be too good at pretending to succeed, but not brave enough to face the truth. “Please start telling your story” There is a chapter in the book that talks about: “Perfection is the least contagious story.” I completely agree.
What most students remember when I give a speech is never the project projects I have done, but the dilemma I talked about when I failed in the workplace. At that moment, I was not an expert or a lecturer, just a person who was as nervous and afraid of failure as they were.
This kind of sharing may seem fragile, but it can build the strongest bridge of trust. The reason is simple, because what people trust is not heroes, but real people who are willing to let others see their struggle. When you honestly describe how you learned a lesson from a setback, you’re not just telling your audience a story, you’re conveying the power of “If I can do it, you can too.”
I once coached the founder of a new startup team to practice pitching. He originally wanted to emphasize that he came from a prestigious school, had many years of experience, and had outstanding team achievements, etc. Until we decided that he would start with “I failed to start a business three times.” He opened the Demo Day like this: “Hello everyone, I am a serial entrepreneur, but unfortunately I failed three times before. This time, I am not trying to prove that I can succeed, but because I finally know which problem I should solve?” As a result, he received the most attention and questions from investors.
Sincerity does not mean exposing scars, but showing how you stand up from a fall. This is where we are most touching and valuable.
5. Story is your coordinate in the world
Telling stories is not just about telling others. It is a mark we leave in this world. When you are comfortable, authentic, and flexible in telling your story, you establish a unique presence—no matter which workplace, market, or community you are in.
I often say that a good personal brand is not a bragging slogan, but a series of well-told stories: Why did you start? What difficulties have you encountered? How do you overcome it? What are your current beliefs? If the answer to every question can be wrapped in a story rather than just a slogan, it will leave a lasting impression in people’s hearts.
“Please start telling your story” taught me that different occasions require different narrative strategies. The version you tell on stage may focus on growth and transition; the version you tell in one-on-one conversations may emphasize trust and emotional connection; and in your social posts to an unknown audience, you should think about empathy and emotional projection.
In this era of personal branding, IP, and self-media, it is too easy for us to fall into the template of self-introduction: “Who am I, what certificates do I have, my expertise is…” Of course, these are all important, but if you want people to remember you, believe in you, and support you, you have to tell a good story. Stories are not only the language that connects you to the world, but also the direction coordinates you leave behind in the vast sea of people.
Your story is proof that you cannot be replaced
At the end of writing this experience, I remembered [from the book](https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0011015092?utm_source=vista&utm_medi um=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-202505) said: “You have important stories that no one else can replace, but you must be willing to take the time to polish them and overcome the fear in your heart to share them.” We live in an era where AI can imitate articles, generate presentations, and produce sounds and images, but “your story” cannot be replaced. Because of the unique life you have experienced, the detours you have taken, and even the pain and love you have felt, those fragments that make up the texture of your soul belong only to you.
You don’t need to be a professional writer or be on the TED stage. You just need to have the courage and willingness to start. From chatting with friends, from the opening remarks of an interview, from behind a post, tell those stories that you thought no one would care about - because maybe that is the resonance that someone has been waiting a lifetime to finally hear.
Telling your story is not only to let others understand you better, but also to let yourself see more clearly who you are.
So, please start telling your story. The world (and me), is waiting to listen.
Further reading
- The American Adventure of Little Goldfish: From Hunter Games to Newsletter Creation Inspiration
- How to become a successful content creator
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