The best stories are the ones that happened to you personally. That’s because they’re unique to you and give the audience something that they can’t get anywhere else.
I was working with a businessman once as he prepared for a presentation. He wanted to make a point about the importance of faith. I urged him to tell me a story that illustrated his point.
He thought about it for a moment and then began telling me a story that was from the Bible.
When I told him not to tell a Bible story, he seemed offended. Â “The Bible is important to me,” he said.
“That’s fine,” Â I said. “I’m not against Bible stories as a general rule. But they’re not original and therefore not that interesting.”
I explained to him that many people in the audience have already heard almost every Bible story. But no one has heard his personal stories.
“If you want to tell a story about faith, that’s fine with me,” I said. “But tell me your own personal story of faith. Tell me about how your own experience. I can’t get that anywhere else but from you.”
