This is NPR's Life Kit, I'm Elise Hugh.

I think personal story connects us all, no matter where we are and what we're doing.

It's a real tool that you should have in your toolbox.

When was the last time you told a story?

Maybe you were on a date or you were asked to share a failure in a job interview.

Maybe you were asked to give a toast or a eulogy for a loved one.

It's also just fun.

I mean it's connecting but it's also a lot of fun.

I mean how many people do you know and love but their stories continue to wow you and surprise you

because you didn't know them in that way.

It's a real sharing.

That's Sarah Austin-Jones.

She's the executive producer of The Moth.

If you're listening to this, chances are you've heard of it.

But in case you haven't.

The Moth looks like a storytelling organization and it is but it's really a place where

we ask people to practice the art of listening.

And it's very rare these days that people are listened to for an extended period of time.

But at The Moth there's no interrupting and the storyteller really takes you on a journey

so that you're next to the storyteller like walking in their shoes for five or ten minutes.

And here's Meg Boles, the boss senior director.

We have some specific kind of rules for the stage where the stories have to be true

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