This afternoon I had the privilege of watching James Whittaker practice his presentation “The Art of Storytelling” in person.
I felt more interesting just being there. One of the few in the know.
First of all, I love storytelling. My grandpa was the best storyteller that ever walked this earth. I would beg him to tell the same story over and over, and it would be just as gripping every time. I just couldn’t wait for the punch line, even if I knew exactly when it was coming. And, oh, that laugh!
And second of all, James Whittaker is the coolest guy at Microsoft. (He may in fact be the only cool guy at Microsoft, but that’s a story for Friday.)
I have been so inspired watching James deliver his riveting and brutally honest presentations. They are jam-packed full of substance and delivered with real punch. I watched his 3-hour talk on “Career Superpowers” and was sorry when it ended.
In fact, his “be interesting” superpower inspired me so much, I started this blog to document my own quest for this power.
After the talk, I got to shake James’ hand and tell him how I dumped my girlfriend, quit my job, and started this blog after hearing his superpowers talk.
And yes, ok, I did lie a little about the first two.
The truth is that my girlfriend dumped me, and I would have quit my job anyway.
But hey, this was a better story.
And that’s the power of the storyteller.
-D
