WHAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DO AS A STORYTELLER

There are a thousand mistakes you can make as a storyteller. These are the four most damaging ones:

Mistake #1: Telling a Story to Yourself

Stories are told for an audience — not for your ego. A great story is never told for your own benefit or admiration, but always for the people listening to you. That means you should not tell your audience everything you know simply to prove your expertise. It means sharing only what is truly relevant, valuable, and useful to your listeners. Your story is not an end in itself — it is meant to create value.

It also means never turning your back on the audience during a presentation while gazing lovingly at your own slides. Great storytellers literally stand with their backs against the wall — because they place themselves before the audience with honesty and vulnerability, revealing a part of themselves in every story they tell.

Mistake #2: Telling a “Story” That Isn’t Actually a Story

Paul Smith, who spent years observing presentations during his career as a market researcher at Procter & Gamble, is all too familiar with the self-indulgent format of many executives who give speeches simply to collect applause. But among the cardinal sins of storytelling, he particularly criticizes the fact that so many things are labeled a “story” when they are nothing of the sort:

“If you want to tap into the benefits of storytelling, you need to actually tell a story. That might sound obvious, but the fact that everyone around you may be calling your speech memo, mission statement, or corporate sales pitch a ‘story’ doesn’t make it one.”

To distinguish a genuine story from other forms of communication, Smith offers a simple test: If you hear sentences such as, “Our vision over the next five years will ensure that …” or “Here are three compelling reasons why you should invest in our business model …” or “These three elements define the core of our brand …” — then you are definitely not hearing storytelling. Stories are narratives. Stories are events.

Something happens in a story. Stories begin with sentences like: “Early Sunday morning, our biggest client called me on my cell phone in a complete panic …” or “The first time my mother tried our product …” or “I got the idea for our company the moment I was fired. Here’s what happened …”

You can recognize a true story because it identifies a specific moment in time, a place, and a main character. Pay attention to that — and don’t let anyone sell you something else under the label of “story.”

Mistake #3: Asking for Permission

What is equally painful — for Paul Smith as well — is when executives seem to feel they need permission to tell a story. You may know the situation: A colleague stands up and says, “Excuse me, may I briefly tell a story here? It won’t take long.”

Both the apology and the question signal insecurity. The speaker who asks for permission is not convinced that storytelling is the right format for the moment.

Even worse, the announcement only undermines the story further. If the speaker shows so little confidence in the value of the story, why should the audience value it any more highly?

Mistake #4: Announcing the Story

Never announce your story. Simply begin telling it.

What happens, after all, when a colleague starts a Monday morning meeting by saying: “Good morning, everyone. I’d like to begin today’s meeting with a story …”?

Suddenly, the Brothers Grimm come to mind. Instead of building energy in the room, the atmosphere immediately deflates — because now, apparently, “it’s only a story.” The facts can wait.

Even worse than the sleepy association with a bedtime story are the rolling eyes and smug smiles from audience members thinking: “Ah, so now our colleague has discovered storytelling too.”

In either case, the colleague who hoped to present the topic in a fresh and engaging way through storytelling can hardly expect genuine attention.

So: no apologies, no announcements … just begin. Enjoy it — and good luck.

Interested in more tips and techniques on the art of storytelling? Then keep reading. In my latest book, Between the Lines – How Smart Brands Use Story to Win Markets and Build Trust (2026), you’ll find many more insights and practical ideas — available HERE.

This text was written by a human; AI tools were used for translation, spelling, and grammar review. Photo by Niranjan _ Photographs on Unsplash