How to Tell a Story

The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth

By: The Moth, Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Kate Tellers, Padma Lakshmi - introduction, Chenjerai Kumanyika - introduction

Narrated by: Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness, Suzanne Rust, Chloe Salmon, Kate Tellers

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, drawing on twenty-five years of experience from the storytelling experts at The Moth

“From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.”—CNN

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life—including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners—to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth’s Peabody Award–winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.

Now, with How to Tell a Story, The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Tig Notaro, Boots Riley, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.

Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy, ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential. Sharing secrets of The Moth’s time-honed process and using examples from beloved storytellers, a team of Moth directors will show you how to

• mine your memories for your best stories
• explore structures that will boost the impact of your story
• deliver your stories with confidence
• tailor your stories for any occasion

Filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.

Critic reviews

Praise for How to Tell a Story

“Fans of nonprofit storytelling organization The Moth, which, since 1997, has presented 50,000-plus stories, won a Peabody Award for its The Moth Radio Hour and boasts a popular eponymous podcast, will be drawn to this guide to, yep, telling stories. From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.”—CNN

“True to its title, How to Tell a Story is a wonderfully practical and thoughtful guide to turning your own experiences and epiphanies into engaging tales. The book is very Moth-centric—‘Moth stories are true and told out loud, in the first person’—but there’s also advice about telling stories during job interviews, business presentations and toasts. Everything here could be easily adapted by classroom teachers or (one can hope) by relatives you see once a year at Thanksgiving.”—The Washington Post

“Inspiring . . . This book . . . provides everything readers need to share their own personal narratives.”—Booklist



Praise for The Moth

“There are many reasons I feel compelled to tell stories. Without stories, the past starts to mush together. And that makes me very anxious. Creating stories is a way for me to make sense of life. The Moth will help you tell great stories.”—Roz Chast, New Yorker staff cartoonist

"The Moth changed my brain in the best possible way. Working with their amazing directors, I learned how to share my story in an authentic and powerful way that I now use almost every day as a teacher, author, and speaker. Now, that’s some brain-changing magic!”—Dr. Wendy Suzuki, author and professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University

Fabulous Tips!

Overall great, but the section on the differences in telling a story on paper vs a live audience was outstanding; we know there’s a difference in written and spoken stories and now we know of wonderful examples to drive home the lessons.

Loved this book!

So easy to listen to all of these amazing storytellers coach how to tell a great story and what goes into sharing.

Best storytelling book

Of course the directors and experts of The Moth would create such a helpful and engaging guide on storytelling.

I couldn’t put it down - it was informative and so well supported by examples from the podcast and radio show.

Genuinely enjoyed it and learned a lot

I came across this book while looking for some writing inspiration, and I must say that listening to it not only inspired me to write, but also gave me ideas on how to improve my teaching and my approach to my students. I will definitely listen to it again in the future 😊

It’s not how to tell a story, it’s how to tell your story. Completely different and the authors say much in the introduction.

Nothing more to add than what I put in the title. I would read another resource for telling stories.