Answers · By Sun Yi, creator of the Myth Sandwich

How do I turn a lesson into a story people remember?

Short answerDon't pick the lesson first and force a story into it. Start with a real moment you remember, then figure out the lesson and boil it down to one sentence.

Start with a moment

• Most people go backwards: they pick the point, then hunt for a story that fits, and that kills it.
• Pick a vivid memory where you can picture yourself in the room, like a five-second moment.
• A big event in your life might not be the right story for this lesson, so don't force it.

Find the lesson

• Every time you retell a story, the lesson gets clearer.
• One story can hold many lessons. Tell it, ask others what they took from it, then pick the one you want to teach.
• Say the lesson in one sentence, like a one-liner quote. It's how you end the story.

Make it stick

• Ask your group "what did this remind you of?" and talk about it to connect the dots to your customers.
• Put the lesson into a Myth Sandwich: the myth your audience believes, and the truth.
• Always follow a point with "for example". Without an example, you don't have a story.

In Sun's words

The best way to come up with a story is to start with the story, then figure out what the lesson is. Most people do it backwards. They decide the point they want to make and then try to find a story to fit it. That kills it. Start with a vivid memory. Something where you can picture yourself in the room. What's happening around you? What did you believe that turned out to be false? That's your story. Every time you retell a story, it gets a little more clear. Then a little more clear. Then more. That's why we retell it — first out loud in a group, then on video. The lesson reveals itself the more you tell it.

▶ Watch Sun explain this

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