5 Common Storytelling Mistakes – And How To Fix Them

Are you new to telling stories?

Are you making a lot of storytelling mistakes?

Whether you’re writing your personal story or telling it aloud, you want your audience to listen – and stay interested.

But beginners often make a few simple storytelling mistakes that can stall the story or lose the audience entirely.

Here are five of the most common storytelling mistakes – and how to fix them.

1. Cut the Backstory: Start Strong and Stay Focused

Too much background can overwhelm or bore your audience before your story even begins.

If your story involves your mother’s next-door-neighbor’s stepson’s kid’s second-grade teacher… just say “a friend.”

🔧 Fix it: Keep only the details that are essential. Trim the fat so your audience isn’t distracted from your actual story.

2. Add Dialogue to Make Your Story Come Alive

I once heard a lovely story from a woman who grew up in a large family in the middle of nowhere.

Laundry day was a big deal, and she described it in entertaining detail.

However, the story lacked dialogue, and so it felt distant.

🔧 Fix it: Dialogue adds voice, emotion, and realism. Even a few lines can help your audience feel like they’re in the story.

3. Use Conflict and Resolution to Drive the Story

Without conflict, your story is just a list of events.

If you’re telling a road trip story, a simple rundown of stops and meals isn’t compelling.

But if the car broke down in a sketchy neighborhood on a 105-degree day?

Now we’re listening.

🔧 Fix it: Show the problem. And then show how you dealt with it. That’s what gives your story shape, tension, and impact.

4. Pause for Impact: Let Your Story Breathe

Whether you’re speaking or writing, don’t rush.

A pause gives your audience time to react, reflect, or laugh.

It builds suspense, adds emotion, and emphasizes key moments.

🔧 Fix it: Use pauses before and after big moments. In writing, that can be a line break or short sentence. When speaking, just… pause.

5. End with a Bang: Create a Memorable Finish

A good story needs a strong finish.

Don’t just trail off.

Your ending should leave your audience with a laugh, a thought, or a feeling that lingers.

🔧 Fix it: Call back to your opening line, resolve the main tension, or deliver a final insight. Make the ending count.

🎤 Want More Help With Your Storytelling?

Join one of my 15-minute microlearning workshops and learn to write or tell your story with confidence.

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