How To Tell A Story Without Feeling Rushed

Get the exercise to build enthusiasm and commitment in under 1 minute:

Kevin Hart's 3 Secrets To Hilarious Storytelling

Kevin Hart is one of the funniest men alive. Whether in interviews with Ellen Degeneres or George Lopez, or his standup specials, he tells absolutely hilarious stories. In fact, most of his standup routine consists of him telling stories. But he does it in such a way that hooks an audience and never lets go, partially because he is able to include so many jokes.

It's not that Kevin Hart's life is inherently more interesting than the rest of ours. He is just a better storyteller. The good news is that storytelling is not something you're born with or you're not. Anyone can learn to tell the kind of funny stories that made Kevin famous. You just need to know the most important pieces.

While there are many storytelling techniques and styles that will enable you to captivate an audience, ultimately, the best storytellers share a few things in common: they get attention, they commit, and they are constantly refining their craft. These fundamentals can be used in any kind of story but they are especially useful for funny stories

So if you want to know how to tell a story better or you are just are interested in what makes Kevin Hart's stories so engaging, check out the video.

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[RaheemD]

I always get halfway through my story and feel the need to hurry it up cause im like "god ive spoken for so long"

[onee]

To sum it up:
[0:49] 1. Capture attention before you start.
[5:36] 2. Committing to your story.
[7:59] 3. Experiment

[soccerman]

Damn dude. You broke it down to a science!

[istotnenieistotne]

when you are 5 ft tall, every third word coming from your mouth just HAS to be "listen, listen, listen"

[andreaskye]

I just have to say, my Fiance' who passed away at the beginning of the year was a huge Kevin Hart fan. He was an older man who had been known for many years to be a fantastic storyteller and he was.
I was amazed watching this video to see the tactics they both used so similarly. I doubt he even realized it. The only thing that would have made this better was if he was here to show it to.
Thanks for putting a smile on my face this evening.

[JahJenkins]

I knew i wasn't crazy, Kevin hart has a pattern. I was high when i figured this out!

[alexa]

Good storytelling:
1) Attention of the audience first
2) Commitment to the story
3) Character development
4) Consolidate the funniest parts based on people's reactions

[ahmedyusuf]

this is the best legit self improvement channel ive ever seen, thank you, subbed

[SwiftDreamer]

usually I see titles like this and think its just clickbait for sub par content, but this is really good. subbed

[smartdrivetest]

Thanks Charisma on Command - getting attention, and making sure you answer side questions before plowing ahead with the story. Awesome advice. And being animated, because if you're not excited about the story, you can't expect your audience to be excited about the story. As well, setting up the story - "true story", "just this and I gotta go..." All great information. And last, but not least - practice, practice, practice the story. I'm working on story telling for my own channel and this was insightful. Thank you, Cheers Rick

[priceaka]

Can you show us examples of what not to do.

[austinsanniota]

This video is excellent. I love the whole channel so much.

[blaisemarak]

that's it .... I can't stay like this anymore.... i'm subscribing to your channel

[an.drew_]

These breakdowns are great. You speak clearly and really hammer home on the point in a way that's easy to understand. Good job

[Zavantica]

I wonder if Kevin is conscious of what he does
Recall Summary: Grab people's attention first: "Listen" say their name, give the story a preamble (hook), repetition
Commit to your story: use expressive gestures, play the character,
Test out funny stories to see how people react, then use them again.

[DrumWild]

When I hear "true story" twice, I prepare myself for an earful of bullshit.

[bunnysenpaimon]

Here are two things I noticed in Kevin in the video as well:

Pauses are key in strategic places. I noticed this in Kevin when he's narrating what someone else said, saying something like, "And he said to me...[punch line]." That small pause, with the right emphasis on the words in the sentence can make the listeners lean forward, waiting for the next part.

The second thing is to portray the characters yourself, and not simply narrate the story. Kevin almost always tells the story by using his hands (as mentioned in the video) and telling the story from an almost first-person view even if the story is about someone else. He doesn't say the general idea of what someone else said, but rather uses direct lines, direct quotes from the person. He didn't describe his son doing the Spiderman move, but did it himself. It's what made the audience feel so much more included.

But those are my two cents that I saw too :) If anyone else also notices something not mentioned, it would be awesome to point it out!

[slimpwarrior]

Man, the way YOU grab attention in this video is something to analyze too xD

[Anna_Stetik]

I do pretty good telling stories naturally, but I've been watching your vids all day, and am totally subscribing. The thing is, what you post can be used not only in our personal lives with friends and family, but in our professional lives, and in any setting with anyone. These are fantastic!

[wellisayhellogoddbye]

Your insight on communication has been very helpful thank you :)