Stories that Bomb......

We have all been there one time or another. You go over your story in your head and it seems worthy of sharing. Somewhere in the middle or close to the punchline in your story, you realize that there is no punchline and that you have just wasted precious moments of your listeners life. You come to this realization through a few different cues.

1. The "dead face". This is when you realize that your listener has lost complete interest in what you are saying. In turn their face will assume this position in hopes that you will get the clue.













2. The next and almost immediate sign following the dead face is the "wandering eyes". The wandering eyes are an indication the listener is looking for a way out of this story or possibly someone to save them from the pain.








3. And finally the tragic "courtesy laugh" . This is when you have delivered the punch line as the listener and feel completely awkward about the story you just heard, SO you laugh to diminish the thickness in the air and to make the storyteller feel a little bit better about them self.





How do you avoid this process of feeling stupid? Let me share a method with you that I have implemented in my life. As you begin to tell your story, check for hints (steps 1,2&3) that tell you it's going no where. If you see any of these signs, STOP IMMEDIATELY and say to your listener/listener's; I'm sorry, I just realized this story is going absolutely nowhere, I am going to stop here before I waste more your time and my myself look stupid. More than likely you will be immediately complemented on your humility and honesty. You might even get a laugh out of the person.

So do everyone a favor and implement this system next time you are telling a story that is about to bomb.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER
Jesus Loves you just the way you are.