1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: The greatest stories inspire us, terrify us, inform us, and 2 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: ultimately change us. They might change our lives or simply 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: help us get through the day. But if we know 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: how central stories are to the human experience, why don't 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: more of us learn how to craft them more effectively. 6 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: Matthew Dix is a world renowned storyteller and also a 7 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: teacher of storytelling who has witnessed the profound impact of 8 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: storytelling firsthand. Matthew believes that crafting compelling stories isn't just 9 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: about influencing others, but also about gaining influence over ourselves. 10 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: When I interviewed Matt I asked him to help me 11 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: improve a story that I was preparing for a work presentation, 12 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: and he walked me through his thought process every step 13 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: of the world. And after delivering this story at the workshop, 14 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: I can tell you that it made so much more 15 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:15,479 Speaker 1: of an impact. My name is doctor Amantha Imba. I'm 16 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 1: an organizational psychologist and the founder of behavioral science consultancy Inventium, 17 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: And this is how I work, A show about how 18 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: to help you do your best work? On Today is 19 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: my favorite tip episode. We go back to an interview 20 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: from the past and I pick out my favorite tip 21 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: from the interview. In today's show, I speak with Matthew 22 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: Dix about getting some help with a story I wanted 23 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: to tell. So, Matt, I was hoping to get your 24 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 1: advice because I've got a workshop coming up with my 25 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: team on Friday, and it's Tuesday today when we're recording this, 26 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: and I've been racking my brains for the right story 27 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: to open this workshop with. And I need a story 28 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: that's essentially about like not taking something for granted and 29 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: sort of you know, treating something with the care that 30 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: it deserves. And I've sort of been thinking about times 31 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: in my life where I've you know, taken something for 32 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: granted that like, I haven't spent a lot of time 33 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: on it, but it's in the bend in the back 34 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: of my mind. I've only got one example. It feels 35 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 1: a bit lame, and I wanted to, like, you know, 36 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: if you can pretend that you are coaching me through this, 37 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: I would love to know how I can get to 38 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: a point where I've actually got a story that then 39 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: I can you know, start to craft. 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 2: So sure, well, what's your what do you have? What's 41 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 2: the thing that's kind of lame? 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: So the thing that feels kind of blame is when 43 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: I was in my twenties, I was living in Sydney 44 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: and I got a lease on this apartment in a 45 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: city apartment, and it had this amazing view of the 46 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: Sydney Harbor, which is kind of like the most beautiful 47 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: thing about Sydney. And I remember the first time I 48 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 1: walked through that apartment and I was struck by the 49 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: view and I just thought, oh wow, like, I will 50 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: never ever get sick of this view for the entire 51 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: time I live in this apartment. And then several months later, 52 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: and this is where my memory is fuzzy. I think 53 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: I had a party or something like that, and I 54 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: remember people standing on the balcony and just ewing an 55 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: hour ing over the view, you know, and it occurred 56 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: to me I'd broken that promise with myself. I'd forgotten 57 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 1: the beautiful view and that's kind of all I've got, 58 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: And it's how do I work with that? Or do 59 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: I go I can do better than that, because I 60 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: feel like that's I don't know. 61 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 2: Right, Well, let's play with that, you know. In terms 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 2: of finding other stories, I guess I'll say this, it 63 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: wouldn't be hard for me and I don't think I'll 64 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 2: be hard for you to just look at things in 65 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 2: your life that you sometimes seek for granted. You know, 66 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 2: I would instantly think my son, my daughter, and my wife. 67 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 2: Any story about them will I can easily transform into 68 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: a I'm taking them for granted. 69 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 1: Right. 70 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 2: My job, I'm sure I'm taking it for granted, And 71 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 2: it's easy, be easy to tell a story about teaching 72 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 2: children and how twenty four years ago I was desperate 73 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 2: to get a job in teaching, and today I actually 74 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 2: complain about going to work sometimes, right, even though it's 75 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 2: the dream job I wanted and still my dream job today. 76 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 2: So I would just sort of inventory things I take 77 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:26,840 Speaker 2: for granted and then tell a story about that thing 78 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 2: without really even being worried too much about taking for granted, 79 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 2: because I can tell a story about my son that 80 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 2: has nothing to do with me taking him for granted. 81 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 2: When a story's done, I can say, can you believe 82 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 2: that I take that boy for granted sometimes? That amazing 83 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 2: story that I just told you about my son that 84 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 2: caused you to love him and open your heart in mind? 85 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 2: Can you believe that there are sometimes when he wants 86 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 2: to play a game with me, and I say no. 87 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 2: That is taking things for granted, so easy pivot from 88 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 2: almost any story, right, anything you care about. So that's 89 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 2: the simple story. But you know what you gave me 90 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 2: was interesting because that's not easy thing the Sydney apartment story, 91 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 2: because it's kind of boring, like it's I bought an 92 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 2: apartment and then eventually I didn't appreciate it in the 93 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 2: way I should. But the way I might craft it 94 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 2: to make it a little less boring is again at 95 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 2: the beginning, we have to cause people to wonder. So 96 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 2: I would start the story doing something like this. I'm 97 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 2: hosting a party and I look out on the deck 98 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 2: and everyone is staring out at something, and I have 99 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 2: no idea what that something is. Like I have looked 100 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 2: outside my deck for the last three hundred and sixty 101 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 2: eight days, and as far as I can tell, there 102 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 2: is nothing to stare at. And yet for some reason, 103 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 2: I've got music playing in the room, and I've got 104 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 2: things to do in the room, and everyone's got their 105 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 2: eyes outside, and so I'm starting to wonder, like, is 106 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 2: there a whale in the harbor today that I've never like? 107 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 2: You know, it is as a boat sinking in the harbor, 108 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 2: right now right, or you know, has a comment crashed 109 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,039 Speaker 2: into the harbor that's caused people to pay attention to 110 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 2: whatever the hell they're paying attention to. So I finally 111 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 2: make my way outside to the deck and I sidle 112 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 2: up against one of my friends and I look out 113 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 2: at the harbor that they can't stop staring at, and 114 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 2: I ask my friend, like, the hell are you staring at? 115 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 2: And then I suddenly know they're staring at the beauty 116 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 2: of the harbor, which a year ago I swore to myself. 117 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 2: I swore to myself that I would never take for 118 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 2: granted because it is one of the most beautiful views 119 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 2: in the world. But it turns out that if you 120 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 2: stare at the most beautiful view in the world for 121 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 2: a year, it stops being beautiful and just starts being 122 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 2: a view, and that is a tragedy. I would tell 123 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 2: the story like that, But do you see how rather 124 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 2: than saying I rented an apartment and you told it chronologically, Yeah, 125 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,039 Speaker 2: you've got to give them something a wonder about. So 126 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 2: the thing to wonder about is why are people staring 127 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 2: at a view that I don't care about anymore? And 128 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 2: the realization is I was supposed to care about because 129 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 2: it is beautiful and I've just forgotten to notice. 130 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: If you enjoy this extract with my chat with Matthew, 131 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:08,919 Speaker 1: you might want to go back and listen to the 132 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: full interview, which you can find a link to in 133 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: the show notes. If you're looking for more tips to 134 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: improve the way that you work, I write a short 135 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things that I've discovered 136 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: that helped me work better, ranging from software and gadgets 137 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: that I'm loving through to interesting research findings. You can 138 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: sign up for that at Howiwork dot com. That's how 139 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: I Work dot co. Thank you for sharing part of 140 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: your day with me by listening to How I Work. 141 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,119 Speaker 1: If you're keen for more tips on how to work better, 142 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,239 Speaker 1: connect with me via LinkedIn or Instagram. I'm very easy 143 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: to find. Just search for Amanthaimba. How I Work was 144 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: recorded on the traditional land of the Warrangery people, part 145 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: of the Cool and Nation. I am so grateful for 146 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: being able to work and live on this beautiful land, 147 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,400 Speaker 1: and I want to pay my respects to elders, past, 148 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: present and emerging. How I Work is produced by Inventium 149 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 1: with production support from dead Set Studios, and thank you 150 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: to Martin Nimba who did the audio mix and makes 151 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: everything sound better than it would have otherwise.