3 Keys To A Textured Story
Spread-Worthy Secrets From The TED Talk Whisperer
By Devin D. Marks | Published Feb 14, 2025
Recall being read to as a child? Whether at home on Christmas Eve with a favorite grandparent or during grade school storytime, those warm memories are with us.
The coziness of snuggling in for a full, satisfying chapter of The Lion Witch & The Wardrobe is potent.
In our imaginations, we crept with Lucy and Edmund into the far back of that dark closet, pressing forward until snow crunched underfoot. When the White Witch turned to Mr. Tumnus to stone — a cold, grey statue posed in terror — we nearly cried out. That magical world of relationships and adventures was ours!
Long-Lasting Memories Are Invariably Textured.
Now then, while reading the above, the chances are good that you recalled specific and detailed storytime scenes from your childhood, right?
They likely include smells and sounds; images and sights; plots and emotions that washed over you decades ago.
That’s because those detailed, emotional memories had texture and were thus sticky.
We know that these stories — multi-faceted and multi-sensory — stay with us.
So naturally, Texture is the second part of my STICKY Story™ framework.**
Texture is Critical to a Sticky Story
Had I simply written, “Most of us remember stories from childhood,” you wouldn’t have felt the same emotional connection. (And you may not have read further.)
But if a story — whether written or spoken — is sprinkled with sensory elements, paints a visual picture, and includes an unexpected twist. Those factors are what combine to spark feelings and build memorability: Texture.
As such, whatever story you will share on stage or screen must be thoughtfully designed. Accomplish that, and your audience will:
[ ] Feel the moment.
[ ] Want to lean into it.
[ ] Begin listening intently.
[ ] Connect with the details.
[ ] Imagine — and see — themselves in your story.
It is what happens when a speaker paints a picture with words — and then adds sound, a breeze, and a pinch. (Ouch!)
Santa Leverages Texture In Christmas Lore.
Why is this so effective? Part of the formula includes the reality that we are reared to anticipate textured details in stories. When they appear, we latch onto them. (Another reason is brain science. I will touch on that later.)
Consider these famous lines from The Night Before Christmas.
𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 — 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍!
𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢.
𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜.
𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚢.
𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚞𝚙 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚠.
𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚘𝚠...
As a child — heck, even as an adult — it is nearly impossible to read those words without mentally snuggling in.
What’s more, in our mind’s eye, those six facets of St. Nicholas’ face (e.g., eyes, dimples, cheeks, nose, mouth, beard) are tied to a rich memory set.
- The tantalizing December 24 rituals before bed.
- The mystery of late-night stocking stuffing.
- The thrill of Christmas morning!
It works every time.
Don't Overwhelm Audiences With Details.
It is worth noting that every feature of Santa’s face is not necessary. That is overkill in the TED-style context of a STICKY Story. You just need a sprinkle, enough to be relatable and frame the image for the audience.
The textured approach calls for just three to four vivid details — of the right sort — to help to draw the audience into the scene. These will also make your story more credible.
The same applies to checking off all five senses in a tale. We don’t need sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch. Pick a couple.
As TED Head Chris Anderson shares:
“𝙾𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕. 𝚃𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚟𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍. 𝚃𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗... [𝙸]𝚝’𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎-𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜. 𝙾𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠.” (TED Talks, p.65.3)
So, it is important to understand that a slather of random details won’t do the trick.
An economy of detail is key. I call that factor, “Sensory Sprinkles.”
But don’t stop there! For texture to be truly STICKY, we need to curate details that drive the narrative forward.
3 Keys Drive Textured Story Design.
This "narrative-driving" design involves using a total of three key factors:
𝟏) 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐋𝐄𝐒. 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 in stories that stick includes a smattering of the 5 senses or other granular details — that are narrative-driving. Did the room smell of soot and cinder after Santa had been there for a bit? Did you hear him humming Jingle Bells while placing presents? Did you hear prancing hooves overhead?
The texture of a STICKY Story should include Sensory Sprinkles.
𝟐) 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐄𝐒. 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 in stories that stick include the framing of vivid imagery sets in the mind’s eye — that are narrative-driving. Where was Santa standing after crouching out of the hearth. What was to the right, left, or above him? Were the tree lights glowing brightly or was the room shadowy?
The texture of a STICKY Story should include Mental Pictures.
𝟑) 𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒. 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 in stories that stick includes a 180’ reversal, a summarizing wise adage, or a surprising plot change — that is narrative-driving. Santa exited out the window instead of the chimney! As he left, he said [insert witty proverb]. He suggested that half the year’s presents be donated.
The texture of a STICKY Story should include Unexpected Twists.
The Best TEDsters Leverage Texture.
To illustrate how this trinity of texture plays out, let’s turn to the TED stage.
Consider the beloved talk by the late Sir Ken Robinson. (Do schools kill creativity?) It included a STICKY Story about the little girl who couldn’t sit still in school and was being evaluated for a learning disability.
"𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 [𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙻𝚢𝚗𝚗𝚎] 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜... 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎; 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐... [SENSORY] 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝. 𝚂𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚊𝚔-𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝟸𝟶 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜, [PICTURE] 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕.. [𝚂𝚑𝚎] 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚗...
𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, '𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎. [SENSORY] 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢. 𝚆𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚆𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐,' 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛.
𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔. [SENSORY] 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, '𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛.' 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚝, 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌. [TWIST] 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, '𝙼𝚛𝚜. 𝙻𝚢𝚗𝚗𝚎, 𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕.'"
Now we know from the rest of the talk that Gillian came alive in her new school. She went on to become a Royal Ballet soloist. Later, she produced Cats and Phantom of the Opera!
There are many reasons why Sir Ken’s talk is the most viewed in the history of TED. Incorporating three forms of texture in this tale is certainly part of the magic. Indeed, whenever the talk is referenced in conversation, the “dancing girl” almost always comes up.
Interestingly, what works for top TEDsters (e.g., Brené Brown, Shawn Achor, and Mike Rowe) also can be seen to have worked throughout time — even reaching back to Biblical era and beyond.
Texture in STICKY Stories Is Timeless.
Consider the parables of Jesus and his followers. They were first oral traditions; then written epistles; and then they made their way to the big (or Netflix) screen. Witness the popularity of The Chosen series that is dominating on-demand viewing, these days.
Look at Peter’s short walk on water (Matthew 14:22-36). This story, which was told and retold before being transcribed, offers a clear set of our three textured factors:
𝙰 𝚏𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚔. [𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴] 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛, “𝙸𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝!” [𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙾𝚁𝚈] 𝚈𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑, 𝙿𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚔, 𝚌𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝, “𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚍, 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚎!” [𝚃𝚆𝙸𝚂𝚃] 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, “𝙾𝚑 𝚢𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑, 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚝?”
This New Testament story is an often-told, textured story, powerfully popular with young and old alike.
Texture Works Regardless of Story Length.
The length of the story doesn’t matter to the stickiness if it is designed with texture (and other elements of a STICKY Story). The same tale, whether short or long, will stick.
By way of example, I often use a short personal memory from my family life to illustrate this for clients:
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋. [𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴] 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 — 𝙸 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔-𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚗. 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢’𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗. [𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙾𝚁𝚈] 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚍𝚎. [𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴] 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎. 𝙰𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍. [𝚃𝚆𝙸𝚂𝚃] 𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎-𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛-𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚍, “𝙿𝚊𝚙𝚊 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚝-𝙷𝚘𝚝-𝙷𝙾𝚃!”
Now that’s one version that accomplishes the task. But it clocks in at nearly 100 words. Here’s another more streamlined approach to illustrate in about 25 words how sticky a pithy, textured story can still prove:
𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚝 [𝙿𝙸𝙲𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴] — 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑. [𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙾𝚁𝚈] 𝚄𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎. [𝚃𝚆𝙸𝚂𝚃] 𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛.
Note that in both versions, the character scene is presented visually. Details are judiciously sprinkled. Finally, there’s something humorous, counter-logical, or unexpected built in.
Why does this work so well?
Short answer:
- Details build trust.
- Visual memories matter most.
- Twists add sparkle to story.
Texture Helps Spread Ideas Worth Spreading.
So whether you’re crafting stories from a TED stage or writing them for storytime at the local public library, you will want to design them to be textured.
But in the meanwhile — Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I hope you take a break to enjoy some fun reading time this season. And if you pick up a volume of C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, all the better. The adventures will stick with you. Because, after all...
"Ideas worth spreading" include textured STICKY Stories!
** Legal Notice: STICKY Story™ and STICKY Stories™ and derivative acronyms (aka, S.T.I.C.K.Y. Story/ies) are pending trademarks of CONNECT to COMPEL, Inc. Any use of those terms requires permission and attribution.
DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His firm, CONNECT to COMPEL, has served 100s of TED, TEDx, and short-talk speakers — including Harvard’s Dr. Robert Waldinger for his all-time Top 10 TEDx Talk. The result: 100s of millions of views for clients. He helps niche experts, authors, and leaders spread world-changing ideas.
You can reach Devin at 617.804.6020, or DM him here. His newsletters are here.
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