Do you have an electric toothbrush?
Then you know the muck that builds up on your charger.

Bear with me. 
This post isn’t about hygiene. 
It’s a lesson in storytelling.

During a presentation, a colleague asked these very words, “Anyone here have an electric toothbrush?” 
When people started nodding, she introduced us to the slimy gunk: biofilm. 

A layer of microorganisms that stick to surfaces, often in moist environments?
Juicy stuff! 
Where was this going?!

When she eventually veered the discussion to biofilms in orthopaedics, we were all ears.

She had captured our attention with a simple, everyday observation that linked our individual experience to something as complex as implant infections.

Storytelling doesn’t need to be complicated, scripted, or follow a rigid pattern. 

You don’t need to attend a workshop on storytelling to become a more engaging presenter, speaker, or thought leader.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t attend those workshops, they’re brilliant! 
But it's just as important to stay alert to the world around you and pay attention to interactions and conversations. 

That’s where your storytelling material comes from.

Get your audience hooked with the familiar, then guide them into the deeper stuff.

The other day, two friends and I spent hours on our bellies on the kitchen floor trying to remove an integrated dishwasher. A lot of trial, error, and random materials dragged in from the garden to dislodge a stubborn foot.

Storytelling PLATINUM.

That moment is now safely stored in my storytelling portfolio and will one day make its way into a presentation on collaboration, resilience, trial and error…you get it.

Next time, think about how your own stories can make your message stick.