The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't by Carmine Gallo
I had torn my only suit, an expensive Italian outfit I had proudly purchased in San Francisco a few days earlier before getting in my car and driving 2,000 miles to take my first television job as a morning news anchor.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 39-41
Khosla Ventures Summit
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 52
Vinod Khosla,
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 53
A person can have a great idea, but if that person cannot inspire others to buy into that idea, it doesn’t matter.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 64
how the best TED speakers master the art of storytelling; how great stories seemed to be the foundation of all great communication.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 71-72
storytelling held the key not only to the perfect TED talk, but also to the larger mission of realizing one’s potential.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 73-74
How do I tell the story behind my idea?
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 86-87
We’re all “storytellers.” We don’t call ourselves storytellers, but it’s what we do every day.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 87-88
The ability to sell our ideas in the form of story is more important than ever.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 89-90
Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 90
In the information age, the knowledge economy, you are only as valuable as your ideas. Story is the means by which we transfer those ideas to one another. Your ability to package your ideas with emotion, context, and relevancy is the one skill that will make you more valuable in the next decade.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, loc. 90-92
Anthropologists point to fire as the spark that ignited human evolution.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 2, loc. 139
“multimodal communication” such as gestures, imitations, sound effects, and songs.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 3, loc. 155-56
Emotion trumps logic.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 4, loc. 183
You cannot reach a person’s head without first touching their heart and the path to the heart runs through the brain, starting with the amygdala.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 4, loc. 183-84
“Victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 6, loc. 206-7
• Storytellers Who Ignite Our Inner Fire • Storytellers Who Educate • Storytellers Who Simplify • Storytellers Who Motivate • Storytellers Who Launch Movements
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 7, loc. 225-28
People with passion can change the world for the better. —Steve Jobs
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 11, loc. 241-42
Every public presentation that Steve Jobs gave resembled a Broadway play and had all the classic components of a great narrative: sets and surprises, heroes and villains.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 12, loc. 266-67
It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 13, loc. 276-77
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs,
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 13, loc. 281
Your story begins with your passion. You cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 13, loc. 285
Apple’s core value is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 14, loc. 298
Do what you love. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 14, loc. 301-2
Passion is contagious. Passion is irresistible. Passion fuels the inner fire.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 14, loc. 306
“The secret to success is to find something you love to do so much, you can’t wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again.” 3
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 15, loc. 331-32
Ask yourself, What makes my heart sing? The answer is the foundation upon which all great stories are built.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 17, loc. 360-61
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. —George Bernard Shaw
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 18, loc. 363-65
the story of his life was a blank slate and that he was the author, the one ultimately in charge of crafting the narrative.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 19, loc. 379-80
“Customers buy from people they are comfortable with, people they consider their friends,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 19, loc. 384-85
And friends don’t “sell.” They tell stories.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 19, loc. 386
“no” simply means one person doesn’t buy into your vision at that moment.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 20, loc. 417-18
“Be bold and exude confidence no matter how nervous you may be,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 21, loc. 424-25
Where most people have “goals,” inspiring storytellers see moonshots and they don’t let anyone get in their way.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 21, loc. 430-31
Inspiring storytellers like Burnett don’t play it small. They dream in moonshots and have the courage, the conviction, and the confidence to share their ideas, even if they get punched in the nose from time to time.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 22, loc. 455-57
Instead of watching reruns of I’m Not Good Enough, he became a loyal viewer of I Can Do Anything.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 24, loc. 493-94
powerful rhetorical device called mesodiplosis, the repetition of a word or phrase in the middle of every clause: “I never dreamed the church would grow.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 27, loc. 542-43
“Wrong labels can keep you from your destiny,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 28, loc. 570
You have ideas that are meant to be shared, stories that are meant to be told. Too many people keep their ideas locked up because they have a fear of public speaking or a fear of being harshly judged for their ideas.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 29, loc. 577-79
The first rule of emotional moviemaking is to create scenes early in the film that put the hero’s life into perspective.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 38, loc. 741
You have to know what sparks the light in you so that you … can illuminate the world. —Oprah Winfrey
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 40, loc. 762-63
If you don’t buy into your story, nobody else will.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 41, loc. 795
Paulo Coelho, describes a calling as a “personal legend” in his book, The Alchemist.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 41, loc. 796-97
start with humble beginnings, help your audience see themselves in the story, and turn the experience into a lesson.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 43, loc. 822
We all just want to know that we matter.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 43, loc. 829
Classic storytelling structure requires that the narrative begin with a fact, event, or action.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 43, loc. 830-31
The second signature of classic narrative is transformation—the protagonist undergoes a change, a transformation.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 43, loc. 832
The third and final step is for the protagonist to learn a lesson that ultimately leads the hero to live a better life.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 43, loc. 833-34
It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 44, loc. 852-53
The world’s most inspiring storytellers align their personalities with their life’s purpose to craft a personal legend.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 45, loc. 856-57
What drove Schultz then and now is the often-stated goal to treat employees kindly; in return, they will reward you with service and loyalty. Regardless, it’s the right thing to do.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 48, loc. 913-14
Customers want to know where a product comes from, who the people are behind it, and how committed they are to delivering a quality product.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 50, loc. 936-37
No customer or employee is going to voluntarily pick up a mop to help you clean up after a “flood” unless they’ve bought into your company’s higher purpose.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 52, loc. 981-83
If an audience doesn’t connect with you early in the conversation and if they don’t like you, it’s unlikely that you will persuade them to agree with your point of view.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 64, loc. 1140-41
In the first five minutes Stevenson establishes his theme—the
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 66, loc. 1176
In the first five minutes Stevenson establishes his theme—the power of identity—and
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 66, loc. 1176-77
The world’s most inspiring educators do just the opposite, devoting 65 percent or more of their content to stories that establish trust and build a deeper, emotional relationship with their audience. Once they’ve connected, they can educate.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 68, loc. 1220-21
Violating expectations is a “superior” communication strategy,
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 71, loc. 1262
It works because the human brain cannot ignore novelty.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 71, loc. 1263
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 72, loc. 1282-83
Stories trump
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 80, loc. 1432
Stories trump data.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 80, loc. 1432
use analogies and personal stories to replace abstractions and jargon.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 82, loc. 1466
Successful founders educate their customers with relatable stories of how they created the product to solve a problem, often one they themselves faced.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 86, loc. 1537-38
There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 87, loc. 1542
There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” —Ronald Reagan
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 87, loc. 1542-43
“If they’re laughing, they’re
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 93, loc. 1643
Modesty is endearing. Combine humility with humor and you’ve got presentation gold.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 94, loc. 1672-73
But the funny thing about humor is that you don’t need to tell a joke to get a laugh—you just have to be able to recognize a funny situation.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 95, loc. 1696-97
Quality storytelling always wins. Always. —Gary Vaynerchuk
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 98, loc. 1739-40
“My parents were hungry—hungry to provide for their family, and hungry to win,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 98, loc. 1749
“The way you make great money, the way you make great impact, the way you make great change is through great storytelling.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 101, loc. 1796-97
doesn’t matter what you’re selling, identify what makes you unique and interesting and have the courage to be authentic across all of the social media platforms from which you share your story.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 101, loc. 1809-10
Be yourself, put out awesome content, and people will be interested in what you have to say.” 9
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 101, loc. 1810-11
“ABCD” which stands for Always Be Connecting Dots.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 107, loc. 1913
He discovered by necessity that persuasive storytelling must be confident, clear, and, above all, concise and simple. “Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It’s hard to make something simple,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 112, loc. 1960-61
“From the beginning, Virgin used clear, ordinary language. If I could quickly understand a campaign concept, it was good to go. If something can’t be explained on the back of an envelope, it’s rubbish.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 112, loc. 1964-66
Branson values a short story and if it can fit on a beer coaster, even better.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 112, loc. 1970-71
Investors like Richard Branson want to see the big picture before they dive into the details of a business idea.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 113, loc. 1976-77
1) It offers a simple template to structure your story. 2) It simplifies your story so your audience can remember its key messages. 3) It leads to the ultimate goal of persuasion—action!
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 118, loc. 2076-78
“Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate, a well-regarded pleasure inducer, cannot match.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 121, loc. 2133-34
The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. —Steve Jobs
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 132, loc. 2297-98
The villain appeared first—a problem in need of a solution. The hero followed—an Apple product.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 135, loc. 2356-57
Flesch-Kincaid
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 136, loc. 2380
The next time you face a skeptical audience, paint a picture of the villain before you introduce your product or service—the conquering hero.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 136, loc. 2381-82
A good enemy gives you a reason to get fired up.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 146, loc. 2507-8
Southwest is the world’s largest airline, employing 46,000 people, carrying more than 100 million passengers a year, and generating billions of dollars of quarterly profit in an industry where profits are hard to find.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 164, loc. 2834-35
culture is not something that a committee brainstorms once and moves on. Instead culture is a story that must be shared every day.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 165, loc. 2851-52
a company’s purpose should answer the question, “Why do we exist?”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 167, loc. 2881-82
She watched great speakers, accepted as many opportunities as possible, and visualized her success.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 171, loc. 2953-54
when I learned that our borders and our obstacles can only do two things: one, stop us in our tracks or two, force us to get creative.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 173, loc. 2995-96
If your life were a book and you were the author, how would you want your story to go? All of us have a story worth telling, but all too often we’re reluctant or afraid to share our stories.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 174, loc. 3009-11
They wear struggle as a badge of honor, inspiring their listeners to tell their own stories and to treat life as a book in which the individual is the author of his or her own destiny.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 175, loc. 3016-18
“You can do anything and I’m expecting you to do everything.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 177, loc. 3044
When you smile, and give and share, those things expedite the building of trust.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 178, loc. 3061
“Oxytocin is produced when we are trusted or shown a kindness, and it motivates cooperation with others. It does this by enhancing the sense of empathy, our ability to experience others’ emotions,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 184, loc. 3164-65
“A great pitch must acknowledge the viability of the product or service, but the focus must be on igniting the person’s emotional core.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 184, loc. 3181-82
Facts and figures inform, but stories move people to action.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 185, loc. 3187
Persuasive storytelling requires specific and vivid details;
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 191, loc. 3297
In much the same way, consumers don’t buy solutions; they buy products that will improve their lives in a very specific way.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 192, loc. 3305-6
“The shorter words of a language are usually the more ancient,”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 195, loc. 3354-55
“Their meaning is more ingrained in the national character and they appeal to greater force.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 195, loc. 3356
If you want to sound smart and confident, replace big words with small ones. Big words don’t impress people; big words frustrate people.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 197, loc. 3390-91
Storytellers motivate the largest numbers of people with the fewest words possible.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 197, loc. 3396-97
Storytellers don’t take shortcuts because there aren’t any to take. Inspiration takes practice.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 203, loc. 3444-45
the building blocks of storytelling: metaphor and anaphora.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 204, loc. 3456-57
When you want to motivate, persuade, or be remembered, start with a story of human struggle and eventual triumph. It will capture people’s hearts—by first attracting their brains. —Paul Zak
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 208, loc. 3538-40
Statistics don’t spark movements; stories do.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 209, loc. 3567
Get that first product out there. It’s never going to be the right product out of the gate. It’s all about iteration. What’s the first message, reaction, non-reaction, iterate. It’s taken me thousands of iterations before I was able to deliver what we do in one or two sentences and capture the audience’s attention.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 212, loc. 3621-24
Proverbs 24:16 reads, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 213, loc. 3641
Leaders don’t move mountains with mountains of data. They do it by giving their audiences a piece of their heart.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 213, loc. 3645-46
A tragic story can bring people to tears. A beautifully crafted story can inspire a movement.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 222, loc. 3784
“Once I had asked God for one or two extra inches in height, but instead he made me as tall as the sky, so high that I could not measure myself,” 7 Malala once said.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 224, loc. 3841-42
If you’re going to share a story, make it great.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 224, loc. 3845
it was the only thing Steve ever asked me to do. He said, ‘John, make it great.’”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 226, loc. 3869-70
Technology Complements the Story, but the Story Always Comes First
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 227, loc. 3886-87
this—no amount of technology will turn a bad story into a good story.”
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 228, loc. 3904
You can only reach the fullness of your potential when you find your true north and become comfortable with expressing who you really are.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 228, loc. 3921-22
Your story can change the world. Let it out.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 229, loc. 3925
they “instill hope again, and again, and again.” Storytellers give us hope, and hope is a universal desire.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 232, loc. 3967-68
Use simple words and analogies to hide complexity.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 235, loc. 3982
start with humble beginnings, help your audience see themselves in the story, and turn the experience into a lesson.
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, pg. 238, loc. 4016-17
If you plan to tell your story on video, remember three things: passion, smiles, and conversation. □ Passion leads to energy and without energy and enthusiasm, it becomes difficult to hold attention. Authentic passion comes
Carmine Gallo, The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catc