Learn to tell a 2-minute leadership story

The hallmark of a good leadership story? Inspiring, motivational, memorable and short—like, two minutes short. In the age of Twitter, people don’t have time or patience for much more than that.

How to build a 120-second narrative? Six tips:

1. Draw from your real past and what you’ve learned from it.
2. Be relevant to your audience, so your story resonates emotionally.
3. Inspire your audience with your passion.
4. Show the struggle between attaining your goal and overcoming the obstacles faced along the way.
5. Illustrate with a vivid example.
6. Teach an important lesson.

Task: Think of a story that ties in all the elements above. Share it with someone. When you’re finished, ask, “What impact did the tale have on you? Were you moved?”

Use feedback to refine your tale, then tell it to someone else. Faster.

— Adapted from “How a 2-Minute Story Helps You Lead,” Stew Friedman, Harvard Business’s Voices blog.