If you don’t have stories to tell, you don’t have stories to tell

When I tell people, “

,” I’m not trying to be clever — I’m being literal.

I say this often in my storytelling workshops.

Here’s what I mean 👇Everyone has stories to tell. Simply being alive is proof of that.But if you don’t recognise your own experiences — the moments, conversations, challenges, and small wins — as stories worth telling, they’ll never be available to you.

It’s not that the stories don’t exist.It’s that you’re not collecting them.

Stories don’t just land on your lap, fully formed and ready to share.You have to find them, name them, and shape them with purpose.

And then comes that lightbulb moment 💡 — when you realise your everyday experiences, no matter how small, are actually story gold.

So where do you start?

🪶 Be curious. Notice the stories you keep telling.🌾 Harvest them. Write down a title or a line that helps you remember.🎭 Practice them. Share, tweak, repeat.

I keep a list called Stories Colin Tells.Sometimes I forget a few — until I read the title and the memory floods back, ready to serve a moment, illustrate a point, or open a connection.

You don’t need hundreds of stories.A handful of your best ones can become your storytelling superpower. 💥

One of mine is called “The Dolphin Audience.”It’s a fun reminder to always shape your story for your listeners — because that’s how you make them care.

Because if you don’t have stories to tell, you don’t have stories to tell.

🎤 I share more about this in my keynote, The Heart of the Story is the Art of the Story.DM me if you’d like to bring it to your team or event.

#moveyourthinking #storytelling