The Power of Connecting Through Stories

In this blog, we're picking out gems from my Own Your BS episode recorded with Joe Augustin — the man with the voice of dark chocolate, the storytelling chops of a three-decade radio veteran, and over 60,000 stories told on air. Joe is an MC, speaker, and presentation and story coach who helps his clients tell their stories with power, poise, and purpose.

Now here's the spicy question we asked:

Why do some of the most prepared people in the room… still bore their audience to tears?

The answer?

It's not your content. It's not your slides. It's not how much research you've done.

It's this: You're delivering facts instead of telling stories.

Joe and I went deep into why storytelling is the most underrated leadership and communication skill — and how even the most "boring" life is bursting with stories worth telling.

Fun fact: When Nike switched from product features to storytelling, their market share jumped from 18% to 43%. More than doubled. Just by telling better stories.

Now, let's sink our teeth into some fleshy bites.

Tip 1: Don't worry about being original. You're not good enough yet.

Start by imitating the people you admire. Copy their rhythms, study their style, do the reps. Over time, because no one's a perfect mimic, your own voice will emerge. Originality isn't invented — it's discovered through volume.

✅ Pick three storytellers you love. Study them. Your unique style will find you.

Stop waiting to be original. Start speaking.

Tip 2: Your audience's brain is designed for stories — not your bullet points.

We interpret the world through "story-shaped holes." Princeton research found that during an engaging story, the listener's brain literally syncs with the storyteller's. Emotional wifi.

✅ Wrap your data in a story first. Facts inform. Stories transform. Skip the story and people will fill in their own meaning — and it won't be the one you intended.

If they didn't feel it, you didn't land it.

Tip 3: Stories are about "I want — but I can't."

Most people report their day like a logbook. I woke up. I went to work. I came home. Boring. But the moment something gets in the way of what you want — that's where the story lives.

✅ Find the friction. The gap between desire and obstacle is what makes people lean in.

No conflict, no connection.

Tip 4: Mine the small, sticky moments.

A clogged toilet can teach emotional awareness. A Grab ride gone wrong can illustrate losing control. Tiny moments. Universal frustration. Instant connection. The best stories aren't grand — they're real.

✅ Pay attention to the mundane — the torn parking coupon, the dead phone, the driver who turns right instead of making a U-turn.

Stop looking for your TED Talk moment. Start looking at your Tuesday.

Tip 5: Build the Lego bricks in their head — not yours.

Great storytelling is placing pieces into the listener's mind so they assemble the picture themselves. When done well, the story doesn't feel like it came from you — it feels like it came from inside them.

✅ Don't over-explain. Give your audience just enough to build their own version. The less you dictate, the more they own it.

A story told well builds itself inside the listener.

Tip 6: If it makes you uncomfortable, it's probably a great story.

We have a deep desire to confess — and an equally deep desire to hear confessions. When someone says "I'm not supposed to tell you this…" — your brain is already all in.

✅ If a story feels too close to the bone, run toward it — not away. But process it first. You're there to connect, not to get therapy on stage.

The bravest stories create the deepest bonds.

Tip 7: Write to the ending first — then work backwards.

Harry Potter must defeat Voldemort. Your town hall audience must feel urgency. Great stories have inevitable endings. Start with the emotional destination, then reverse-engineer the journey.

✅ Before your next presentation, write one sentence: "By the end, I need my audience to feel ___." Then find the story that gets them there.

Don't start with what you want to say. Start with where they need to land.

Tip 8: Don't try to tell a story five minutes before you go on stage.

A great story needs to be strong in your head before it can land in someone else's. You can't rush that. The five minutes before is never the time to suddenly become a storyteller.

✅ Build your story library now — not when the pressure hits. Be open to stories as you live your life. They'll show up hand over fist.

Storytelling is not a last-minute add-on. It's a daily practice.

The Wrap

Storytelling is not a soft skill. It's how we're wired. It's how brands are built. It's how leaders move

people.

And seriously — what's the point of having brilliant ideas if no one feels them?

This episode was packed with laugh-out-loud moments, raw confessions, and practical wisdom for anyone who's ever put an audience to sleep or thought their life was too boring for a good story.

Thank you, Joe Augustin, for being my co-host in this powerful episode.

Now go forth, my friends — find the conflict in your Tuesday, build the Lego bricks in their heads, and for the love of all things holy, stop saving your stories for someday. Tell them now.

🎥 Watch the full episode of The Own Your BS Show with Joe Augustin here - https://youtu.be/sS_sPiA0iCM?si=BBfk3z6lcPeL-n-Y

#OwnYourBS #WritingJourney #EmotionalResilience #Leadership

This is Cindy Tien, EQ Maven, CSP - Empowering teams to Break through Blind Spots & Turn Hurdles into Hallmarks.

🌟 Strengthen Connections

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 🔵 12yrs  🟢 80+ corporate clients  🔴 30k+ people