Ever wondered what makes a story stick? Do you have trouble getting your messaging to sound just right? Are your pitches just plain boring? Today’s guest is all about electrifying your story so that it’s on everybody’s minds.

Neil Gordon works with entrepreneurs, executives, influencers, and thought leaders to overcome their messaging struggles. He helps them streamline their message to convey their value in unexpected ways. Prior to his work as a communications expert, Neil worked on the editorial staff of Penguin Random House. He is also the VIP contributor for Entrepreneur with three of his articles making it to #1 spot on the website’s most popular posts.

Still finding his path in life, Neil read a book by John Irving that ended up shattering his worldview. This and through his love for reading, he landed himself at Penguin Random House and that was just the beginning of his storytelling journey.

In business, we get really immersed in strategies and tactics, but ultimately, when we return to our most basic sense of humanity, that’s really where we make some of our most profound decisions. At the heart of that, that's where the meat of the story lies.

Neil believes some of our greatest catastrophes in life are some of the greatest opportunities for success. So, what makes a story worth telling? It boils down to a specific time, place, and scene so that the human brain can easily picture and remember it. However, you have to add twists, a lesson of sorts, so that it catches the passive listening ear off guard; there has to be something in it that makes you stop and go, ‘Wait, what?’ When you incorporate something unexpected, it makes heads turn.

Interview Links:

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A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

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Scaling Up is the best-selling book by Verne Harnish and our team for Gazelles Coaching, on how the fastest-growing companies succeed where so many others fail. My name is Bill Gallagher, host of the Scaling Up Business Podcast and a leading Gazelles Coach. Gazelles is the term we use for fast-growing companies.

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278: Neil Gordon — How to Tell a Story that Sticks

Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher