Did I Ever Tell You About the Time...: How to Develop and Deliver a Speech Using the Power of Stories to Persuade and Captivate Any Audience [Paperback]

For years, Robinson has shared with audiences stories of his early life in small-town Arkansas: a sensitive boy, growing up in the shadow of an older brother who excelled in sports and schoolwork, and the even greater shadow of a gruff father who towered over the area as a highly successful sports coach. The stories paint vivid and unforgettable pictures of a young boy confronting his first Little League at-bat against a menacing pitcher nicknamed "Fishhook," or being pushed out unexpectedly on to the court by his father as the unwilling fifth player at a B-team basketball game so his team would not forfeit.

Robinson discovered that these stories resonated at a profound level with audiences from Harlem to Hollywood. Why? Most of them had no actual experience of life in rural Arkansas. In one case an African American woman who grew up in Harlem told Robinson that in listening to his stories about his father, she felt he was talking about her own father. Robinson sought to understand how this could be.

He discovered Joseph Campbell.

Campbell showed that in cultures around the world and throughout the centuries, universal symbols and themes have emerged in story and legend to which human beings instinctively respond. And the most basic ingredient of all is the "hero's journey," in which the subject leaves his familiar life and embarks on a quest, facing archetypal foes and challenges one after another until confronted with the Supreme Ordeal which will change him forever. He then returns, so changed, to the world he left, bringing the result with him. It is the stuff of "Beowulf" and it is the stuff of "Star Wars." It is the stuff of a young boy in Arkansas determined not to duck when Fishhook's first pitch comes rocketing toward the plate.

It is the stuff, believes Robinson, of which life-changing and memorable speeches are made.

In this book, Robinson examines the nature of human stories in detail, exploring their power, the elements that make a good story, and the trance-like state that audiences fall into while a story is being told. He presents several of his best-known stories and analyzes what he has done to make them most effective. And he presents a number of ideas to get readers started on identifying and shaping the powerful stories from their own lives, because he believes everyone has faced trials and tribulations that will strike universal chords with audiences.

"The human story is life-giving, uplifting, tender, inspiring, and funny, filled with wonder and awe," writes Robinson. "It is deeply painful at times, challenging, requiring courage, faith, and hope. Your story is life-shaping, hilarious, and it is *your* story. Tell it."

If you can find a way to hear Grady Jim live, don't miss the opportunity. If not, get this book!