If you want to be a better storyteller, embrace the fact that you can’t pay attention to two things at once.
Your attention belongs to you, and you have complete control to reclaim it.
Here are a few suggestions:
- See with your ears and your eyes.
- Leave your phone in your pockets and look up.
- Listen for stories in everyday conversation—in cafes, on public transportation, at dining tables.
- Talk to strangers and look for the unfamiliar.
- Begin a sentence with “So, tell me about…”
- Watch how people interact with their environment and each other.
- Listen to a child.
- Slow down.
