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The Storyteller's Toolkit with sita brand

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Storytelling Podcast Episodes

Your first sentence decides whether people listen. Here is how to cut the backstory and put your listener inside the room straight away. Most of us open with a runway: three years of context, a company history, a family connection, all before anything happens. We do it because we believe context creates understanding. Motion creates attention. In this episode you will learn: - The Runway Trap, why we front-load context, and what it costs us - The Archer and the Oil Peddler, a classic fable from ancient China - How to open in the action while keeping your listener oriented - Two head teachers opening the same staff meeting, side by side - The Action Launch, with three worked openings for charity and community work CHAPTERS 0:00 The Runway Trap 0:50 Listen. Everything starts with listening 2:00 Why motion earns attention 3:20 The tale: The Archer and the Oil Peddler 7:40 Give us the coin and the stream of oil 9:30 The pitfall: action with no anchor 11:20 Two head teachers open the same meeting 13:40 Practice: dropping the runway 16:00 The Action Launch, three worked openings 18:40 Bring your story ABOUT Sita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, and the founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives you one technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day. JOIN US Subscribe for a new storytelling technique every week. Leave a comment below with the opening sentence of your latest story. Workshops, masterclasses and coaching circles: https://settlestories.org.uk Apply to be a guest: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vy storytelling podcast, how to start a story, storytelling techniques, public speaking, presentation openings, keynote speaking, Sita Brand, Settle Stories #Storytelling #PublicSpeaking #SettleStories 10:36 How to Start a Story in the Middle and Win the Room - Storyteller's Toolkit #13

How to Start a Story in the Middle and Win the Room - Storyteller's Toolkit #13

Some stories have people leaning forward. Others land like a shopping list. The difference is one thing you can name in a single sentence. Most good communicators give what I call the Itinerary Report: first this happened, then this, then this. A sequence of events, with everything safe. Once the listener has something to root for, the whole thing comes alive. In this episode you will learn: - Why a chronicle of events leaves an audience cold - The Dervish and the Honey Jar, a traditional teaching tale from the Middle East - Why quiet human vulnerability holds attention better than Hollywood drama - A worked example: the same team update told two ways - The Stakes Anchor, a sentence you can use in your very next meeting CHAPTERS 0:00 The Itinerary Report 0:50 Listen. Everything starts with listening 2:00 What makes a listener root for you 3:20 The tale: The Dervish and the Honey Jar 7:30 Feel the weight of the jar you are carrying 9:20 The pitfall: assuming stakes mean melodrama 11:40 Two versions of the same team update 14:20 Practice: where the risk lives in your body 16:30 The Stakes Anchor 18:30 Bring your story ABOUT Sita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, and the founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives you one technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day. JOIN US Subscribe for a new storytelling technique every week. Leave a comment and tell me: what is one story from your life where everything was on the line? Workshops, courses and coaching circles: https://settlestories.org.uk Apply to be a guest: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vy storytelling podcast, how to tell a story, storytelling techniques, stakes, public speaking, presentation skills, Sita Brand, Settle Stories #Storytelling #PublicSpeaking #SettleStories 10:02 How to Make Any Story Feel Urgent - Storyteller's Toolkit #12

How to Make Any Story Feel Urgent - Storyteller's Toolkit #12

A tea master faced a samurai at dawn with no sword training, and walked away untouched. Here is what his daily practice gave him. We have been taught that storytelling happens on a stage, behind a podium, at a microphone. An event you brace for, get through, and then judge yourself on afterwards. There is another way to hold it, and it costs you almost nothing a day. In this episode you will learn: - The difference between an event that drains you and a daily habit that replenishes you - The Tea Master and the Samurai, a Zen tale from feudal Japan, and the stillness that left an opponent with no opening to find - The pitfall that ends most daily practices by day four, and how to design around it - The Sensory Sweep, a sixty second grounding practice you can do anywhere - Daily Micro-Capture, one sensory sentence a day, small enough to keep for years CHAPTERS 0:00 A duel at dawn 0:45 Listen. Everything starts with listening 1:30 An event you prepare for, or a way of moving through the world 3:00 The tale: The Tea Master and the Samurai 7:40 Why attention made him unshakeable 9:30 The pitfall: turning a practice into homework 11:30 Presence practice: The Sensory Sweep 14:00 Your tool: Daily Micro-Capture 16:30 Keep the bar low and the channel stays open 18:15 Bring your presence to the small thing ABOUT Sita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, and the founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives you one technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day. JOIN US Subscribe for a new storytelling technique every week. Leave a comment below with your one sensory sentence from today. Workshops, coaching and online circles: https://settlestories.org.uk Apply to be a guest on the show: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vy storytelling podcast, how to tell a story, daily writing practice, storytelling techniques, public speaking nerves, presence, mindfulness practice, Zen tales, Settle Stories 9:25 Story as Daily Practice, not Performance - Storyteller's Toolkit #11

Story as Daily Practice, not Performance - Storyteller's Toolkit #11

A blurry memory can become the most trusted thing you say. Here is how to turn the gaps in your recollection into the reason people believe you. Most people believe that a fractured memory takes away their right to speak. They think they have two options: invent detail to paper over the cracks, or stay silent. There is a third way, and it is older than both. In this episode you will learn: - Why a seamless, rehearsed account makes a listener pull back, and why honest gaps pull them closer - The Gold-Mended Bowl, a tale from 15th century Japan, and what kintsugi teaches about how memory really works - The apology habit that pulls attention away from your story and onto your own self-doubt - The Gold-Seam Formula, a single sentence you can use in your very next conversation - A short grounding practice for finding the one physical detail that survived CHAPTERS 0:00 The worry I hear almost every week 0:52 Listen. Everything starts with listening 1:35 Why a perfect account loses people 3:10 The tale: The Gold-Mended Bowl 7:20 Memory works like kintsugi 9:05 The pitfall: turning the gap into an apology 11:00 Practice: finding the detail that survived 14:10 Something to notice this week 16:00 The Gold-Seam Formula 18:20 Bring your story ABOUT Sita Brand is a storyteller and Dharma teacher with forty years of experience, and the founder of Settle Stories. Every week on The Storyteller's Toolkit she gives you one technique, one tale, and one practice you can use the same day. JOIN US Subscribe for a new storytelling technique every week. Leave a comment and tell me: what is the one detail from your past that stayed with you? Workshops, coaching and online circles: https://settlestories.org.uk Apply to be a guest on the show: https://wkf.ms/4g6b5vy storytelling podcast, how to tell a story, storytelling techniques, public speaking, memory and storytelling, kintsugi, folk tales, Sita Brand, Settle Stories #Storytelling #PublicSpeaking #SettleStories 10:50 What to Do When You Can’t Remember - Storyteller's Toolkit #10

What to Do When You Can’t Remember - Storyteller's Toolkit #10

Why does your breath climbs into your chest the moment you feel on the spot. By the end of this episode you will walk away with a practical physical voice exercise, grounded in the voice work of Barbara Houseman, to release tension in your jaw and ribs, letting your breath drop all the way down so your natural authority speaks for you. More from Barbara Houseman: https://barbarahouseman.com/ - - - Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true. New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/ 13:49 The Rhythm of Real Speech - Storyteller's Toolkit #9

The Rhythm of Real Speech - Storyteller's Toolkit #9

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true. New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/ 8:06 Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #8 - The Shape of a Story (Without Getting Academic About It)

Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #8 - The Shape of a Story (Without Getting Academic About It)

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true. New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/ 8:58 Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #7 - How to Mine your Memories

Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #7 - How to Mine your Memories

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true. New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/ 8:28 Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #6 - The Courage to be Boring

Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #6 - The Courage to be Boring

Welcome to The Storyteller's Toolkit, the weekly storytelling podcast from Settle Stories. Storyteller and Dharma teacher Sita Brand helps you find and tell the stories only you can tell. Each episode weaves together a folk tale, a presence practice and a practical tool you can use straight away, alongside conversations with master storytellers and quick tips to sharpen your craft. Join a growing community of people learning to notice their own lives, trust their own voice and share what's true. New episodes every week. Come and join us. Find out more about Settle Stories and Sita Brand at https://settlestories.org.uk/ 10:09 Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #5 - What Makes a Story Interesting

Storyteller's Toolkit - Episode #5 - What Makes a Story Interesting

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