You start telling a story. Halfway through, the other person's eyes drift. You speed up. It gets worse.
The problem usually isn't the story. It's how you're telling it. Here are five ways people kill a good story — and how to fix each one fast.
1. You start too far back
Bad: "So this was Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday, I think it was after lunch..."
Nobody needs the date. They need the moment things got interesting.
Start close to the action. "So I'm at the airport and they call my name over the speaker." Now they're hooked. You can fill in details later — if they even matter.
Fix: Cut everything before the first interesting thing happens.
2. You explain the ending in the setup
Bad: "This funny thing happened where I locked myself out but it was fine in the end."
You just spoiled it. Now there's no tension. Why should they keep listening if they know it works out?
Hold the outcome. Let them feel the problem before you hand them the relief.
Fix: Never announce how it ends. Let the ending land on its own.
3. You get lost in useless detail
Bad: "...and he was wearing a blue shirt, or navy, and we took the red car, not the other one..."
Colors of shirts. Which car. What you ate first. None of it moves the story.
Every detail should either build tension or set up the payoff. If it does neither, drop it.
Fix: Before each detail, ask: does this make the ending hit harder? If not, skip it.
4. You mumble the punchline
Many people build a story well — then rush the best part, or say it too quietly, or laugh over it.
The payoff needs room. Slow down right before it. Pause. Then deliver.
That tiny pause tells the listener: here it comes. It makes the line land twice as hard.
Fix: Pause for one beat before the punchline. Say it clearly. Then stop talking.
5. You don't stop when it's over
Bad: "...and that's when he fell in the pool. Which was crazy. Anyway yeah. It was a whole thing. So that happened."
The story ended two sentences ago. Every word after the payoff drains the energy out of it.
Good stories end on the strong line. Then silence. Let them react.
Fix: Once you hit the payoff, stop. Don't explain it. Don't add a summary. Let it breathe.
The takeaway
Next time you tell a story, do one thing: cut the first two sentences and stop talking right after the best part. Start late, end early. That alone will make you a better storyteller than most people in the room.