Don't say, “I want to tell you a story about...”

Instead, dive right into the story.

“I want to tell you a story about” —> “The safety bar slowly lowered over my head and I gripped it, my knuckles turning white. I was about to face one of the biggest fears in my twelve-year-old life– rollercoasters.”

“I want to tell you a story about” —> It was a freezing January day in rural Indiana when my wife said, “I'm having an affair, it's over.”

The best storytellers launch right in.

What is your favorite story to tell in a speech or in life? How do you start it?