The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't

by Carmine Gallo Narrated by Carmine Gallo

Overview

How did a Venice Beach T-shirt vendor become television's most successful producer? How did an entrepreneur who started in a garage create the most iconic product launches in business history? How did a timid pastor's son overcome a paralyzing fear of public speaking to captivate sold-out crowds at Yankee Stadium, twice? How did a human rights attorney earn TED's longest standing ovation, and how did a Facebook executive launch a movement to encourage millions of women to "lean in"?

They told brilliant stories.

In The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch on and Others Don't, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and communication expert Carmine Gallo reveals the keys to telling powerful stories that inspire, motivate, educate, build brands, launch movements, and change lives. The New York Times has called a well-told story "a strategic tool with irresistible power" - the proof lies in the success stories of 50 icons, leaders, and legends featured in The Storyteller's Secret: entrepreneurs like Richard Branson, Sara Blakely, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Sheryl Sandberg; spellbinding speakers like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bryan Stevenson, and Malala Yousafzai; and business leaders behind famous brands such as Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Wynn Resorts, Whole Foods, and Pixar. Whether your goal is to educate, fundraise, inspire teams, build an award-winning culture, or to deliver memorable presentations, a story is your most valuable asset and your competitive advantage.

In The Storyteller's Secret, Gallo explains why the brain is hardwired to love stories - especially rags-to-riches stories - and how the latest science can help you craft a persuasive narrative that wins hearts and minds. "The art of storytelling can be used to drive change," says billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson. And since the next decade will see the most change our civilization has ever known, your story will radically transform your business, your life, and the lives of those you touch. Ideas that catch on are wrapped in story. Your story can change the world. Isn't it time you shared yours?

The opinions expressed by Carmine Gallo in The Storyteller's Secret are his own. His audiobook is not endorsed, sponsored or authorized by TED Conferences, LLC or its affiliates.

This program is read by the author.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/21/2015
According to communications coach Gallo (The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs), “You don’t choose your passion; it chooses you.” Successfully selling that passion to others, he confides in this helpful primer, means becoming a master storyteller. Gallo believes that the first step to finding your own story is answering the question of what makes you happy. He uses the stories of accomplished storytellers such as Richard Branson, Joel Osteen, Tony Robbins, and Oprah Winfrey to demonstrate the ways in which self-narrative informs self-confidence—and helps speakers convince others. Explaining how to help listeners comprehend a message, he reminds readers, “If you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it.” Highly narrative and personality-driven, these stories, backed up by checklists and concrete tips, may not break any substantial new ground, but Gallo’s enthusiastic and encouraging style is infectious. Readers with an idea to sell—whether for profit or for social justice—will find this an indispensable guide to articulating a sales pitch. Agent: Roger Williams, New England Publishing Associates. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

*Washington Post Bestseller*

“I believe there are seeds of greatness in each and every one of us. In The Storyteller's Secret, Carmine Gallo unlocks the techniques that have made some of the greatest entrepreneurs, speakers, and leaders of our time as great as they are. The chapters are filled with inspiring stories and specific tips that will help you elevate your personal brand, move your business forward and, quite possibly, change the world.” —Lewis Howes, author and podcast host of The School of Greatness

“I believe your adversities are your advantage. Carmine Gallo shares this philosophy. In The Storyteller's Secret, he shows us how overcoming challenges - tension over triumph - is the stuff by which great stories and great successes are made.” —Darren Hardy, Publisher, Success Magazine

“After I lost my legs I got a second chance at life. I learned that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves. I started to ask myself the question, 'If life were a book, and I was the author, how would the story go?' In The Storyteller's Secret, Carmine Gallo not only gives you the tactical steps to sharing your ideas, he also digs into the psychology of storytelling to explain why the stories we tell ourselves are the most important and empowering ones of all.” —Amy Purdy, world-class snowboarder, motivational speaker, and television personality

“Having facts on your side isn't enough. You have to do storytelling. In The Storyteller's Secret, Carmine Gallo shows you how to frame ideas to make an irresistible, memorable, and emotional connection with your audience. We have very big problems to solve and we have entrepreneurs with great ideas, but knowing the science isn't enough. Stories educate, inform, and ultimately inspire us to change the world.” —Vinod Kholsa, founder of Kholsa Ventures

For years I’ve come to trust Carmine Gallo’s sage wisdom on learning to be a better communicator and I’ve made his book, Talk Like TED, required reading for my staff. I’m excited about The Storyteller’s Secret because in my business communication and leading teams to victory are most certainly related!–Brigadier General Kenneth E. Todorov, USAF (Ret)

Library Journal

02/01/2016
Gallo (Talk Like TED) engages readers with a litany of stories and storytelling techniques for anyone looking to give better presentations, make better pitches, or run better meetings. If your work supports an idea, business, product, brand, or institution, you will find useful advice within these pages. Gallo's modus operandi throughout is to draw from the lives of rags-to-riches figures and explain their methods. Some are household names (Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey), while others are successful businesspeople (Sara Blakely, Charles Michael Yim). Each brief chapter begins appropriately with an attention-grabbing anecdote from the individual's life and then moves to brief second and third acts—with the headings "The Storyteller's Tools" and "The Storyteller's Secret." These sections are the meat in which Gallo digs into techniques such as infusing message with mission, using analogies, violating audience expectations, employing metaphor, and introducing relevant details. Many of the lessons—telling tales of trials and wrapping data with story, for example—come up repeatedly but for good reason. VERDICT This entertaining and informative overview of how famous storytellers build loyalty, sell products, and inspire others will appeal to general readers.—Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

FEBRUARY 2017 - AudioFile

Carmine Gallo, a popular keynote speaker, reveals the secret to telling powerful stories that inspire, motivate, educate, build brands, launch movements, and change lives. A clear, convincing narrator, he reads with vigor and confidence, emphasizing the need to find one’s passion and learn how to communicate. His examples of successful business people support his recommendations. Both Gallo's book and pleasant voice are well suited to the audio format, and his presentation style, especially his consistent pacing, blend well with the content of his work. He convinces listeners that the ability to tell their story persuasively is the most important skill they need to accomplish their dreams. As a storyteller, he provides a compelling listening experience. S.C.A. 2017 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2015-12-06
A self-help book from a communications coach and respected keynote speaker. To achieve success and renown, Gallo (Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds, 2014, etc.), who has consulted for Pfizer, LinkedIn, Coca-Cola, and other major brands, urges readers to tell a good story. In nearly every presentation, stories beat logic or evidence, so tell a captivating tale in every sales pitch or TED talk (the author's ultimate venue). To demonstrate, Gallo begins each chapter with a homily of someone's life-changing epiphany and ends with a quick summary, "the storyteller's secret." The inspiring accounts invoke such notable names as Gates, Jobs, Springsteen, and Sting. Also included in the narrative are tales of Churchill, Branson, Oprah, and Pope Francis. All of these figures are wonderful storytellers who have educated and motivated us. They simplify their messages, launch movements, and inspire the world. Promoting a personal brand takes significant work, but Gallo helpfully encapsulates a score of the leaders' secrets in brief—e.g., "reframe the story you tell yourself" ("Joel Osteen, Darren Hardy), "make stories at least 65 percent of your presentation" (Bryan Stevenson, Sheryl Sandberg), "violate expectations" (Bill Gates, Elon Musk), "take every opportunity to hone your presentation skills" (Martin Luther King Jr.). For mastery of brilliant storytelling, Gallo provides an appended checklist for aspiring readers who may find the foregoing chapters too heavy with pop neuroscience and references to obscure experts. The take-away: your limbic brain, oxytocin, and good PowerPoint slides, coupled with a perfected story, can make you a billionaire or, if you like, a changer of the world—or maybe, just a bit more prosperous. The old pep talk by another proficient motivational master, updated with references to Twitter, YouTube, and, of course, TED.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169079944
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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