Lesson 7 of 12 · Keeping it flowing

Stories people remember

A short story says more about you than a list of facts, and people remember it.

About 20 minutes
Chapter 7 of the book
Saves on this device

Activity 1 of 5 · Order

Put the story in order

Good short stories have a shape. Put this one in order.

Story order game

Use the arrows, then check your order.

✓ Done

A learner's story

Joon-ho's long way round

Joon-ho · graphic designer from Busan · upper intermediate

When people asked Joon-ho about his weekend, he told them everything, in order: what time he woke up, what he ate, which train he took. By the time he reached the interesting part, his listener was checking their phone.

A friend gave him a tip: start with the surprising bit. So instead of “On Saturday I woke up at nine…”, he said, “I got locked out of my flat on Saturday, wearing only my slippers.”

Everyone wanted to know what happened next. It was the same weekend. It was a different story.

Activity 2 of 5 · Build

Build your 60-second story

Fill in each part with a few words. The tool joins them into a story you can tell in about a minute.

60-second story builder

Use a real moment: a mistake, a surprise or a small adventure.

✓ Done

Say it

Phrase box

Useful phrases from this chapter. Anything that isn't British English is labelled.

Start

You'll never guess what happened…
The funniest thing happened on Saturday.
So, last week…

Build

And then…
The thing is…
Anyway, to cut a long story short…

Finish

So that's why I never…
Lesson learned!
Anyway, what about you? Has that ever happened to you?

Activity 3 of 5 · Choose

Which opening line?

The first line decides whether people want to hear the rest. Pick the better opening.

Opening

✓ Done

Activity 4 of 5 · Play

Tell it in a minute

You'll get a story topic and sixty seconds. Tell a true story about it, out loud. Use the shape: hook, problem, action, ending.

One-minute story

Don't worry about perfect grammar. Keep talking.

✓ Done

The research

A 2014 review by Michael Dahlstrom found that information in the form of a story is generally easier to understand, more interesting and easier to remember than the same information as a list of facts. Your listeners are built for stories.

Activity 5 of 5 · Say it

Say it aloud

Tell your 60-second story three times. It gets shorter and better each time.

Your story

Your story comes from the story builder.

✓ Done

Before you move on

Three questions

What is one funny or surprising thing that happened to you this year?

Where could your 60-second story fit into a conversation?

Who tells stories well in your life? What do they do?

5 activities to go

Finish all five activities to complete Lesson 7. Your progress saves on this device, and finished lessons are marked on the lessons page.

What to remember

Five things to keep

Start with the surprising bit.
Scene, problem, what you did, ending, point.
Keep it to about a minute.
“To cut a long story short” helps you skip details.
End by handing the conversation back: “Has that ever happened to you?”

Your answers and progress stay on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.