“Human thinking depends on metaphor. We understand new or complex things in relation to things we already know.” — Jonathan Haidt 1
“Analogies work because they feel like accommodation, in that they allow us to keep one foot in what we know while we seek new ground with the other. Studies of science learning show that presenting a new idea along with new evidence fails to remove misconceptions. The new idea plus the new evidence cannot overpower the embedded misconception. But if we take the same new idea and support it with an analogy to a valid idea that’s already set in the learner’s mind, then the misconception becomes vulnerable.” — Leidy Klotz, Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less
The best way to share knowledge is to tell a story.
Storytelling is the art of strategically withholding information. Before you begin, you must decide which details to conceal until the very end—to keep the audience in suspense.
As Anton Chekhov 2 said, “One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn’t going to go off.” (Chekhov’s Gun) Every element in a story must serve a purpose. If it doesn’t, it’s a false promise—and should be removed entirely.
Once the essential pieces are in place, the storyteller’s task is to stretch the tension. When the audience finally reaches the nail-biting moment of truth, you don’t rush to the answer—you linger there.
Think of the climax of a blockbuster film: the action never resolves in seconds, even if that’s how long it would realistically take. Every punch is slowed down. Every detail is magnified.
In other words, storytelling isn’t just the art of withholding information—it’s also the art of time dilation.
Storytelling Engagement = Novelty × Resonance
The cat sat on a mat. → The cat sat on a dog’s mat.
- Basic
- past → present → future
- setup → tension → resolution
- Advanced
- Dan Harmon’s story circle
- Kurt Vonnegut’s story graphs
- Gustav Freytag’s pyramid of storytelling
Every great storyteller I’ve studied shares one hidden instrument: vocal rhythm.
It’s the music behind the words — the way they play with:
- Speed — slowing down for weight, speeding up for excitement.
- Volume — whispering to draw you in, rising to lift you up.
- Enthusiasm — letting emotion color the tone.
- Staccato and rhyme — adding pulse and pattern.
But above all, vocal rhythm is the art of purposeful silence.
- Simple
- Unexpected
- Concrete
- Credible
- Emotional
- wrapped in Stories
