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The Upgrade by Lifehacker

How to Tell a Story, with Alan Alda and The Moth’s Catherine Burns (RECAST)

The Upgrade by Lifehacker

Lifehacker

Tech News, News, How To, Education, Self-improvement

4.6688 Ratings

🗓️ 23 July 2018

⏱️ 69 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, Alan Alda and The Moth’s Catherine Burns join us to talk about storytelling. What makes a good story? What makes a good storyteller? How can we use storytelling to communicate better, to sell people on our ideas, to make people like us?Actor, director, screenwriter, author and science advocate Alan Alda is the founder of the Alda Center for Communicating Science and Alda Communication Training, which trains scientists and businesspeople to use improv in order to more effectively get their ideas across. Catherine Burns is artistic director of The Moth, the non-profit dedicated to the art and craft of stories told live and without notes. We talk with both about the magic and science of storytelling and effective communication. Additionally, Lifehacker staff writer Beth Skwarecki speaks with a children’s librarian about how best to tell a bedtime story, and Lifehacker staff writer Nick Douglas schools us on Dan Harmon’s guide to structuring any written story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

0:02.2

Hey, upgrade listeners, what are you doing July 23rd to 26th?

0:07.3

Well, I know what we're doing.

0:08.7

What are we doing?

0:09.4

We're going to podcast movement in Philadelphia.

0:12.3

At the Philadelphia Marriott downtown?

0:14.8

That's the one.

0:15.7

Is this the world's largest gathering of podcasters?

0:18.5

You bet your ass it is.

0:19.7

When are we featured? Wednesday, July 25th,

0:24.5

130 to 215. We are going to be speaking about how to make a popular podcast. I'm so excited.

0:32.7

It's going to be very exciting. It's us and our producer Levi Sharp. We'll be there on stage with us. You've heard him

0:38.9

in the upgrade of the week, now hear him. Uncaged. Who knows what he'll say? It's the birthplace of

0:46.3

independence and it's the birthplace of Levi on the mic. That's right. So come see us. See you there.

0:52.3

Okay. Bye. Bye. Thank you there. Okay, bye. Bye. Bye.

0:54.9

Thank you.

0:55.1

Bye.

0:55.4

I love you.

0:58.8

Hey, upgrade listeners.

1:00.0

We're taking a little break.

1:03.0

We're retooling the upgrade to make it better than ever.

1:05.4

It's going to blow your freaking minds.

...

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