THE RETELLABLITY FACTOR IN STORYTELLING.

What will the story of the story be?

Whenever you’re shaping a story, it pays to anticipate the other forms it will take in the retelling.

I call this distilling for Generational Clarity.

KNOW THIS: The audience will inevitably simplify your story to a sentence or two.

So whether you’re delivering a TED Talk, funding pitch, or boardroom preso... You should know in advance what form that soundbite will take — how your story will be retold when you’re not in the room.

TEDster and master communicator, Tim Pollard, calls this shooting for “2nd Story Success.” He advocates for “retellability” in storytelling. (His excellent talk about fixing communications is here.)

Let’s turn to the TED stage to see this retellablity concept in action.

Here is Sir Ken Robinson's famous "Dancing Girl story in its original 350-word format:

Gillian and I had lunch one day. I said, "How did you get to be a dancer?"

When she was at school, she was really hopeless. And the school, in the '30s, wrote to her parents and said, "We think Gillian has a learning disorder." She couldn't concentrate; she was fidgeting.

She went to see this specialist in this oak-paneled room, and she was there with her mother, and she was led and sat on this chair at the end, and she sat on her hands for 20 minutes, while this man talked to her mother about all the problems Gillian was having at school, because she was disturbing people, her homework was always late, and so on.

In the end, the doctor went and sat next to Gillian and said, "I've listened to all these things your mother's told me. I need to speak to her privately. Wait here. We'll be back. We won't be very long," and they went and left her.

But as they went out of the room, he turned on the radio that was sitting on his desk. And when they got out of the room, he said to her mother, "Just stand and watch her."

And the minute they left the room, she was on her feet, moving to the music. And they watched for a few minutes, and he turned to her mother and said,

"Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick. She's a dancer. Take her to a dance school."

Gillian said, “I can't tell you how wonderful it was. We walked in this room, and it was full of people like me — people who couldn't sit still, people who had to move to think."

She was eventually auditioned for the Royal Ballet School. She became a soloist; she had a wonderful career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School, founded the Gillian Lynne Dance Company, met Andrew Lloyd Webber. She's been responsible for some of the most successful musical theater productions in history, she's given pleasure to millions, and she's a multimillionaire.

This story, as delivered by Sir Ken on stage, reflects a perfect 3-act story:

1. A setup (child visiting doctor).

2. A problem (fidgeting in school)

3. A resolution (dance school + career).

It also happens to be part of the single most-viewed TED Talk of all time. So clearly something in that story works!

But that 350-word version won’t be what’s repeated by any audience member. Regardless of how enthusiastic they may be in spreading it, the tale will be distilled.

Perhaps the 2nd-gen version will be a mere 80 words and flow this way:

A little girl couldn’t be still in school. Gillian moved and swayed whether seated or standing.

Her mother took her to a specialist. He examined her and then, as he left the room, he switched on the radio. In an instant, she was up and dancing.

“Gillian’s not a problem student. She’s a dancer; she needs to move to think — take her to a performing arts school."

The mother did and in time the child became a Broadway sensation.

Cleaner, right?

Easier to spread?

What’s more, an even shorter version of 25 words may do the trick:

A fidgety schoolgirl was diagnosed a “dancer” — someone who had to move to think. Gillian transferred to a dance school and became a Broadway star.

Again, consider the story’s minimalist — reductionistic — form and pursue it relentlessly. Draft that pithy 2nd generation story. Condense it into a few short sentences with simple words.

Know that it may even go another generation: the story of the story of the story!

Use that condensed, next-gen version to fill in the blank:

“He told me a great story about [ ________ ].”

Generational Clarity is key to retellablity in storytelling!

DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His firm, CONNECT to COMPEL, has represented hundreds of TED, TEDx, and TED-style speakers with millions of views. His team helps leaders, just like you, catalyze insights.

You can reach Devin at 617.804.6020, or DM him here.

A BREAKAWAY TALK: >1M <1Yr.

It is said that 100K views make for a "viral" talk, and I'm not quibbling there. But those are really a dime a dozen.

What marks a BREAKAWAY in my way of thinking is a talk with 1M views.

I love to highlight and celebrate those (whether from my clients or otherwise) that have just recently surpassed the one-million-view mark. They are outliers.

This April 2023 TEDxAustinCollege by Kate Kahle (Why autism is often missed in women and girls) is a stand-out.

Here's the TED description:

Women and girls with autism spectrum disorder often don't display the behaviors people typically associate with neurodivergence, greatly impacting when, how — and if — they are diagnosed. Autism acceptance advocate Kate Kahle makes the case for more research into this gender discrepancy.

When a talk like this one hits the 1M marker within the first year... that's special. But when it does so at an accelerated pace (< 3 months?!) there's clearly something special going on.

It. Is. Spreading.

Many so-so talks can accumulate an impressive view count over years. But hitting the 7-figure marker within a concentrated time frame is a signal that there's something truly extraordinary going on in the talk and around the topic.

So my equation is as follows:

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 = >𝟏𝐌 + <𝟏𝐘𝐫

P.S. Know of an about-to-happen breakaway talk? Even better, did you deliver one (or hope to)? Please touch base and 411 me here.

PROBLEM: What type of TED Talk should I deliver?

SOLUTION: Take this short quiz to find out.

Ever consider giving a TED Talk? It's actually not as impossible as you might imagine. I can certainly help you get there. That's what I do.

If so, where to begin...

TIP: Begin by identifying the CATEGORY of your talk type. This provides a framework for you to approach your particular topic.

There are generally 8 different categories of talks. What category could yours be?

𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 by way of 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭.

In just 15 questions you’ll have your answer and a 15-page PDF with worksheets, TEDster examples, and more.

DM me with your results.

We can synch up to explore which of your ideas fall within that category and have the potential to truly be TED-worthy.

That's a simple, easy step towards the red dot stage!

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TEDxTuesdays: Insights from the TED Talk Whisperer

THE RETELLABLITY FACTOR IN STORYTELLING.

A BREAKAWAY TALK: >1M <1Yr.

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 = >𝟏𝐌 + <𝟏𝐘𝐫

PROBLEM: What type of TED Talk should I deliver?

SOLUTION: Take this short quiz to find out.

Were you forwarded this newsletter?

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