Telling a story

Telling a good story is one of the most powerful communication skills you can develop in English. Whether you want to inform, entertain, inspire, or connect with others, understanding how stories work will help you speak with confidence and keep your audience engaged.

What are the five elements of an interesting story?

Every compelling story is built on five key pillars that give it structure and make it memorable [01:00].

• Characters: who the story is about — people, animals, or even magical creatures.
• Setting: where and when the story takes place, including the context.
• Plot: the sequence of events, what actually happens.
• Conflict: the tension or problem that drives the story forward.
• Resolution: how the problem gets solved and how everything ties together.

These elements work as a framework. When you practice identifying them in stories you hear or read, you start building them naturally into the stories you tell.

Which phrases help you tell a story in English?

Certain expressions act as signposts that guide your listener through the narrative [03:08]. Here are some of the most useful ones:

• "One time" — great for opening a story: "One time, I saw something crazy on my way to work."
• "All of a sudden" — perfect for introducing an unexpected event: "I was cooking and all of a sudden the microwave exploded."
• "To my surprise" / "To her surprise" — highlights something the character did not expect: "When she looked in the window, to her surprise, all the furniture was gone."
• "At last" — signals the resolution: "At last, he had found his true love."

Using these phrases makes your storytelling sound natural and gives your audience clear signals about what part of the story they are in.

How can you make a story surprising, funny, or dramatic?

Once you have your structure and phrases ready, the next step is adding style and emotion [04:02].

How do you create surprise?

• Use misdirection: make your audience believe the story is going one way, then change direction completely.
• Use contrasts: include something totally unexpected compared to what the audience assumed would happen.

How do you add humor?

• Mention ridiculous details — if something stupid happened, share it.
• Use exaggeration to make things seem bigger than they really were.
• Try observational humor: point out something strange or off about the situation.
• Add an element of surprise — unexpected moments often generate the biggest laughs.

How do you build drama?

• Build suspense by hinting that something is going to happen without revealing what it is until the very end.
• Create mystery to keep your audience guessing.
• Exaggerate the conflict so the problem feels like a really big deal.

What does a real-life story look like with all five elements?

A personal story shared during the lesson brings all these concepts together perfectly [05:18]. It takes place on a public bus in Bogotá, where a stranger sat down, quietly drew a portrait, wrote his email on the back, and left — all without saying a word.

Weeks later, at a different bus stop, he tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Remember me?" They introduced themselves, exchanged numbers, and eventually dated for almost three years — until the story took one more unexpected turn.

Let's break it down:

• Characters: the narrator and the guy on the bus.
• Setting: a public bus and a bus station in Bogotá.
• Plot: a stranger draws her portrait, gives it to her, they meet again by chance, and start dating.
• Conflict: confusion about his intentions and uncertainty about ever seeing him again.
• Resolution: they ran into each other and began a relationship.

Notice how the story uses misdirection ("I thought he wanted money"), an element of surprise at the ending, and observational humor to keep the audience engaged throughout.

The best way to improve your storytelling is to practice. Pick a real experience, identify the five elements, choose your phrases, and decide what tone you want — surprising, funny, or dramatic. Share your own story and the details that made it interesting to you in the comments.