Best Books to Become a Skilled Storyteller

The most effective way for people to communicate knowledge is through storytelling. Stories are simple to grasp since we can picture what is being spoken. And it's crucial to understand how to tell a compelling tale while you're telling one.

Have you ever wondered why people are so captivated by excellent stories when they hear or read them? And why do some stories have such a strong hold on audiences while others seem to slip away? How does one perfect the ability of storytelling and its effects?

To tell a great story, you need to read great books. We've included several works by well-known authors to aid in your development of storytelling skills.

This post will introduce you to the top storytelling books that can aid you in developing your stories and improving audience engagement.

Best Books for Learning Storytelling

• Wired for Story
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On
• Start With Why
• The Storyteller's Secret
• Ego is the Enemy
• Made to Stick
• The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
• Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion
• The Hero’s Journey
• Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds

Wired for Story

Author: Lisa Cron
Goodreads Rating: 4.21

Picture recognizing what the brain wants from every story it consumes, what drives each great story to succeed, and what rivets readers. These cognitive tricks are revealed in Wired for Story, which is a game-changer for anybody who has ever picked up a pen. The overwhelming bulk of writing guidance emphasises writing well as though it were the same as telling a wonderful tale. In their quest for exquisite metaphors, genuine dialogue, and intriguing characters, many wannabe authors miss the one element that makes a tale compelling: igniting the brain's inborn curiosity about what will happen next.

When authors engage with the evolutionary function of the tale and pique our interest, a sweet dopamine surge signals us to pay attention. Even the best prose won't keep readers' attention in its absence. Wired for Story presents a groundbreaking look at the story as the brain experiences it, supported by contemporary developments in neuroscience as well as examples from books, movies, and short stories. Each chapter focuses on a particular element of the brain, the discovery it makes about stories, and how to use it to improve your storytelling right away.

Contagious: Why Things Catch On

Author: Jonah Berger
Goodreads Rating: 3.97

Why are certain things popular? Why do certain things and concepts get more discourse than others? Why do some rumours and tales spread faster than others? What causes internet material to become popular?

If you answered "advertising," reconsider. People pay attention to their peers more than ads. But why do some things and concepts get more attention than others? Why do some rumours and tales spread faster than others? What causes internet material to become popular?

Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at Wharton, has spent the last ten years providing answers. He has investigated how social influence affects everything from the automobiles we buy to the clothes we wear to the names we give our children. He has also investigated why products obtain word-of-mouth advertising. In this work, Berger exposes the covert science that underlies social and word-of-mouth propagation. Learn how six fundamental factors cause everything from legislative efforts and consumer items to workplace gossip and YouTube videos to become infectious.

Powerful tales and ground-breaking science are combined in Contagious. Learn how a high-end steakhouse gained notoriety for its humble cheese steak, why anti-drug ads may have contributed to a surge in drug usage, and why more than 200 million people shared a film on one of the world's most mundane products: blenders. Infectious discusses why some tales get spread, emails get forwarded, or videos become viral and demonstrate how to use these ideas to create contagious content.

This book offers a collection of practical strategies for promoting information dissemination, including how to create messages, adverts, and content that will be shared. Contagious will show you how to make your product or concept catch on, regardless matter whether you're a manager at a large corporation, a small business owner seeking to increase awareness, a politician vying for office, or a health authority attempting to spread the word.

Start With Why

Author: Simon Sinek
Goodreads Rating: 4.10

Start With Why is a book, that is based on a single key concept, the "WHY" of anything you do. You're more likely to quit in between, get tired, or lack the enthusiasm required to be your finest if you do not have a strong drive or the "why" set for your brand, job, or field of interest. Besides, the author explains how to reconsider the things you do on a daily basis as well as why you do them.

The book creates awareness among people about the reasons why some people and organisations are more influential and profitable while others continue to struggle to leave a mark on the market and their customers. It lets you know about the ‘WHY' that led to many organizations’ repeated success stories.

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have very little in common, but one of the similarities is that they all started their work with a "why." Their inner capability to begin with the reasoning or the "why" gave them the power to motivate people around them and reach great heights in their respective fields.

Today’s world has been and will always be influenced by great men who, according to Simon Sinek, think, act, and converse in the same manner, which is uncommon if compared to the general public out there. Sinek introduces The Golden Circle, a concept popularised by Simon Sinek, which looks at the why as the root of the how and the what and then presents it as the central notion of everything your business revolves around. Modern management might appear to focus more on the what than the why, but in truth, individuals are drawn to businesses that pursue particular products, establish particular brands, or put out particular jobs because of the reasons behind such decisions.

The book helps its readers to introspect and rethink their ideologies regarding "why" their firm exists, "why" consumers will want to purchase products from their firm and not another, and "why" they are doing what they’re doing and not anything else. Because any organisation can describe what it does (service or product), some of them can describe how they provide the service or produce the product; very few, however, can express the sharp reason or the 'why' in detail behind the product or service they provide.

Sinek creates a compelling picture of what it really takes to inspire and motivate by building a variety of real-life examples. This book is for anyone looking to encourage others or seek inspiration themselves.

The Storyteller's Secret

Author: Carmine Gallo
Goodreads Rating: 3.88

How did a Venice Beach T-shirt salesman become the most prosperous producer in television? How did a businessman who began in a garage produce the most famous product launches in corporate history? How did a shy pastor's son convince sold-out audiences at Yankee Stadium twice despite having a crippling phobia of public speaking? How did a Facebook executive start a campaign to inspire millions of women to "lean in"? How did a human rights lawyer receive the longest-standing ovation at TED?

They were master storytellers!

Keynote speaker, communication specialist, and bestselling author Carmine Gallo reveals the secrets to telling potent stories that inspire, motivate, educate, build brands, launch movements, and change lives in The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch on and Others Don't. The success stories of 50 icons, leaders, and legends featured in The Storyteller's Secret, including entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Sara Blakely, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Sheryl Sandberg; captivating orators like Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., Bryan Stevenson, and Malala Yousafzai; and business leaders behind well-known brands like Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Wyndham, are evidence that a well-told story can be "a strategic tool with irresistible power.

A storyline is your most vital treasure and competitive edge, regardless of whether your objective is to motivate teams, generate money, educate, or establish an award-winning culture.

Gallo demonstrates in The Storyteller's Secret why the brain is programmed to enjoy stories, particularly rags-to-riches tales, and how the most recent research may help you create an effective story that captures readers' attention. According to billionaire businessman Richard Branson, "the skill of storytelling may be leveraged to create change."

Your tale will fundamentally alter your business, your life, and the lives of others you touch because the coming decade will bring about the greatest amount of change our society has ever known. Popular ideas are wrapped in a narrative. The world may be changed by your story. Why don't you share yours now?

Ego is the Enemy

Author: Ryan Holiday
Goodreads Rating: 4.14

“While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive, visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” – from the Prologue

Many of us feel that the outside world is the greatest barrier to living a full, prosperous life. In actuality, our ego is the most prevalent opponent. It hinders learning and the development of skills in the early stages of our careers. It has the potential to make us oblivious to our mistakes and plant the seeds of future issues. Failure amplifies every blow and makes recovery more challenging. We are held back by ego at every point.

The Ego is the Enemy uses a wide range of tales and illustrations from history, philosophy, and literature. We get to know interesting people like Eleanor Roosevelt, Katharine Graham, and Howard Hughes, all of whom overcame their egos to achieve the highest heights of achievement and influence. We can use their approaches and strategies as well.

But in a culture that exalts social media, reality TV, and other instances of blatant self-promotion, why should we bother combating ego? As Holiday puts it, "you will be less engaged in the tale you tell about your specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to do the world-changing job you've set out to complete" if you are equipped with the knowledge from this book.

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Made to Stick

Author: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
Goodreads Rating: 3.97

A lie may go halfway across the world well before the truth can even be put on its boots, according to a quote by Mark Twain. His assessment is factual we know how easily false news reports, conspiracy theories, and urban legends spread. On the other hand, entrepreneurs, educators, politicians, and journalists are among those who are working to make key and factual ideas "stick."

In this book, Chip and Dan Heath describe the structure of ideas that stick and how to increase the stickiness of ideas by employing techniques like the human scale principle, the Velcro Theory of Memory, and curiosity gaps. All sticky messages, from the famed "kidney theft ring" hoax to a coach's instructions on sportsmanship to a vision for a new product at Sony, derive their force from the same six attributes, as we learn along the road.

Your communication style will change as a result of Made to Stick. It's a quick tour of achievements (and failures): the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who swallowed a glass of bacteria to demonstrate the existence of stomach ulcers; the organisations that exploit the Mother Teresa Effect; the elementary school teacher whose simulation successfully stopped racial prejudice.

Made to Stick is thought-provoking, eye-opening, and often shockingly amusing. It teaches us the essential laws of successful ideas and explains how to use these guidelines to make our thoughts memorable.

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

Author: Jonathan Gottschall
Goodreads Rating: 3.71

Humans spend most of their time in their imaginary settings. We conjure up fantasy. We consume plays, movies, and books. Even athletic events and court cases develop as stories. However, the realm of stories has long been an uncharted and unexplored continent. Humans are supposedly "wired" for tales, but why?

Jonathan Gottschall presents the first complete framework of storytelling in this amusing and innovative book. In the same way that flight simulators prepare pilots for challenging situations, he contends that tales assist us in navigating life's complicated social difficulties. Like other activities, storytelling has developed to secure human survival.

Gottschall explains what it means to be a storytelling animal by referencing the most recent findings in neurology, psychology, and evolutionary biology. Did you realise that a tale alters your conduct the more engrossed you become in it? that regardless of whether they live in a suburb or a slum, all kids act out the same types of stories? that readers of fiction are more sympathetic people?

Our inclination to tell stories has a bad side, of course. Conspiracy theories, commercials, and narratives about ourselves that are more "truthy" than truly become more appealing to us as a result. National myths may sometimes be quite harmful: a legend helped fuel some of Hitler's goals.

But as Gottschall demonstrates in this outstanding work, storytelling may also improve the state of the world. The best stories have a moral; they guide us in living, whether overtly or covertly, and unite us around shared ideals. We are aware that we are skilled storytellers. Finally demonstrating how tales mould us is The Storytelling Animal.

Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion

Author: Robert B. Cialdini
Goodreads Rating: 4.21

The classic book on persuasion, Influence, explores the psychology behind why people say "yes" and how to use this expertise. The father of the fast-developing science of persuasion and influence is Dr Robert Cialdini. This well-praised book is the culmination of his 35 years of meticulous, evidence-based research and a three-year programme of study on what motivates people to alter behaviour.

You'll discover the six universal rules, how to use them to become a persuasive speaker, and how to counter them. The Influence concepts are ideal for people from all walks of life and will propel you toward significant personal transformation and achievement.

The Hero’s Journey

Author: Joseph Campbell, Phil Cousineau (Editor)
Goodreads Rating: 4.35

The Hero With a Thousand Faces author, who is also the author of The Masks of God books and The Power of Myth, here uses his powers of observation and analysis to describe his own life's journey and to convey the thrill of his lifelong study of mythic traditions, which he called "the one great story of mankind."

Campbell focuses on topics including the origins and purposes of myth, the role of the artist and the necessity for ritual, as well as the struggles of love and passion in dialogues with poets, anthropologists, and philosophers. The Hero's Journey exposes the reader to Joseph Campbell the person, his findings, his vocabulary, and his thinking. It is illustrated all through with images from his family's photo collection and has a new, rewritten preface.

Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds

Author: Carmine Gallo
Goodreads Rating: 3.88

In the twenty-first century, ideas are money. You must be able to persuade people to buy your ideas if you want to succeed. The single best talent that will enable you to realise your ambitions is this one. Many people struggle with public speaking anxiety or doubt their capacity to deliver an effective presentation.

The widely acclaimed TED Talks, which have redefined the components of a successful presentation and elevated them to the status of the gold standard for public speaking, are now the focus of public speaking coach and best-selling author Carmine Gallo's investigation into what makes a great presentation. Leading intellectuals from across the world come together at TED, which stands for technology, entertainment, and design. These are the talks that light up the globe, and the methods employed by the best TED speakers will make any presentation more engaging, energise any team, and give anybody the self-assurance necessary to conquer their fear of public speaking.

In order to uncover the nine secrets of all effective TED presentations, Carmine Gallo examined hundreds of TED talks and spoke with the most well-known TED speakers as well as the foremost experts in the domains of psychology, communication, and neuroscience. Anyone can produce an entertaining, convincing, and memorable presentation using Gallo's step-by-step methodology.

Top 10 Wall Street Journal Bestsellers by Carmine Gallo Anyone who is uncomfortable speaking in front of an audience will get the skills necessary to persuade others to agree with them, the tools necessary to explain the concepts that are important to them, and the confidence necessary to give the speech of their lives after reading Talk Like TED.

Carmine Gallo's views are his own, which he expresses in TALK LIKE TED. His book is not supported, approved, or sponsored by TED Conferences, LLC or any of its subsidiaries.

Conclusion

Stories are what give life to facts. Any boring conversation or meeting can be made interesting and thought-provoking with the right style of storytelling. The above-mentioned books are some of the best and are sure to help you master different techniques of storytelling from authors who are skilled storytellers themselves.

FAQs

Which are the best books to learn storytelling?

Some of the best books to learn storytelling are:

• Wired for Story
• Contagious: Why Things Catch On
• The Storyteller's Secret
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
• The Hero's Journey
• Talk Like Ted
• The Storytelling Animal

What are the main elements of storytelling?

The most important elements of storytelling include characters, plot, theme, setting, conflict, and a good conclusion to the story.

What skills do I need to master storytelling?

Empathy, persuasion, directness, creativity, great attention to detail, the ability to engage the audience, etc. are some of the important skills one needs to master the art of storytelling.