You won’t instantly notice it but humans are actually frequent storytellers. We tell our friends, relatives, and co-workers stories and they do the same. In some situations (like making a presentation at work), being a good storyteller can matter a lot. So, here are some things you should know!

Listen to others tell their stories

You’ll always have that one co-worker or friend who’s just really good at telling stories. So, try to observe and listen to them whenever you can. Sometimes you can learn a thing or two about what they do and you also get to know how it feels to be on the receiving end as an audience. There are also many great sources online where you can listen to people tell their stories. Listening to others first can be an excellent way to start improving your storytelling skills.

Write it down first

Whenever you experience something that you think can build into a great story, always remember to write it down. Our brains always play tricks on us and it won’t do any good to just trust your memory. Write down every thought that comes to mind and slowly create your story from there. By writing everything down, you can visualize the story a lot more clearly. You can be sure that it will be easier for you to tell the story if you organize it well on paper and include even the minor (yet relevant) details.

Avoid giving too much background

When telling a story, you’ll usually have to give some background information so that the audience can understand the context. Even so, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to give every detail about why the story happened in the first place. This is a mistake many people make when it comes to introducing their stories. You’ll only end up boring your audience before you even start! If you think this your problem, just remember to tell your audience only what they need to know.

Keep things concise but don’t rush it as well

Speaking of boring your audience, you don’t want to stand there telling a story that seems like it’s not going to end. It’s important to keep it concise because you’re essentially giving the major details while still keeping the audience engaged and interested. Although keeping concise is important, you should remember not to rush with your story. You’ll get tempted to breeze through everything especially if you’re new to storytelling. But try your best to slow down and just have fun in front.

Make sure to include dialogue

Another great addition to any story is dialogue. Think of it this way, dialogue in storytelling is just like the pictures in children’s books! It adds more color to the story and can even summarize the story as a whole. You can tell, for example, about that one time you were walking around Singapore and interacting with an auntie at a hawker center. There are really many real-life dialogues we can use to tie up our stories.

Persuasion is one of the most important skills, not only at work but also in many aspects of life. Want to convince your mother to cook some chicken rice for you? Haggling with an auntie at the flea market? Trying to persuade your boss to give you a raise? Persuasion can help us live well and there are many ways to persuade someone.

Be confident
This one is already pretty obvious. Displaying an aura of confidence helps convince your audience that you know what you are doing and you are sure that you’re going to get what you want. The ones in the receiving end of your persuading will pick up in that confidence and will eventually learn to trust you.

Highlight the benefits
How will you even persuade someone if you mention nothing about the benefits right? But you shouldn’t only point out the benefits, remember to highlight how the result can benefit them. If you want to convince your father to play golf with you, point out all the benefits he can get from playing.

Keep things simple
If you want to persuade someone effectively, keep your words and ideas simple and easy to understand. This comes from the idea that people confuse easily. When we are faced with complex arguments that we do not understand immediately, we tend not to trust them because we think there might be hidden agendas. So, keep things simple and direct.

Choose the right words
The simple explanation for this is to use words that appeal to your audience. There are certain words old people use that don’t appeal to younger ones. There are words you can use when talking to your workmates but not to your boss, same with ones you can use with friends and not your parents. If you do choose the right words, you show your audience respect and they will be able to relate to you better.

Add a dash of flattery
This is another common strategy that many people use to persuade others. These days though, there are also people who easily notice flattery and therefore is not easily influenced by it. So instead of saying compliments directly, try to keep it subtle and mostly indirect.

Learn to Concede
If the argument is not going your way, learn to step down for a while. There is usually a benefit to taking a break and reconsidering the things you want. There are even times when you might benefit more from not having convinced the other person in the end.

Just a quick note. Although this article is about persuasion, you should never use any of these to take advantage of other people. Never try to influence them into doing something that can harm their health, safety, and dignity. Let’s all be good men and women for others!

In such a busy world, it just seems that we don’t have enough time in a day. But hobbies are there to remind us to unwind and enjoy once in a while. Aside from giving us a time to take a break and have fun, hobbies can also give us many benefits. The best part about it is that you don’t really have to limit yourself to one hobby. You can try to learn as many as you want!

Stress relief
A hobby is defined as an activity that is mainly done for enjoyment, usually during one’s leisure time. With that definition, it is obvious how hobbies can be great mediums of stress relief. Doing something you enjoy can take your mind off the stress and give it some time to refresh. You may engage in physical activities that can help promote good hormones or maybe indulge in a different world through a book.

Bring you knowledge
When you’re starting to learn a hobby, obviously you gain more knowledge about it. You learn new techniques, ideas, and values that you can use not only with it but also with life in general. Additionally, not only will you be developing your skills in these certain hobbies, you’ll be surprised that having hobbies will also teach you a lot of life skills.

Enhance your social life
Having a hobby means you are involved in a community. It is something that you can usually enjoy with the company of others. You meet people who share the same interests with you, and maybe even learn to get better at your hobbies together. You might have a hobby of model building and have a friend who also does so. Together, you might be able to make a business out of the models you create and meet a lot of people who might be interested in buying them.

A way to earn
Hobbies aren’t necessarily only for leisure. Like what was said earlier, you might be able to earn money from your hobbies. Painting, perfume making, photography, knitting, almost any hobby can be turned into a business if you want to. Hobbies also help you earn better in your job, indirectly. It has been found that those who have hobbies can do better at work because they develop the habit of not wasting time.

Depending on your situation, there can be a lot of hobbies to try out. Whether you like to keep moving, or want to stay at the comforts of your home, there are a million things you can try.

Hobbies that get you moving:
Drone Racing
Rock Climbing
Martial Arts
Cycling
Hobbies that teach patience:
Fishing
Yoga
Knitting
Home-Brewing
Others you can try:
Playing online games
Photography
Blogging

Okay, let’s say that you’ve just graduated college and have a rather average record, what do you do? Maybe your classmates who performed at the top of the class were already getting letters of different companies trying to get them even before they graduated college.

Maybe you’ve been working for a while but want to get into a better position that has a really competitive hiring system. How do you land a job when the competition is not just steep but also crazy? Although these tops might not be able to help you a hundred percent, at least it’ll get you one foot in the door.

Here are a few ways you can do to increase your chances of getting hired:

1. Tweak your resume
Okay, let’s face it. Not everything on your resume is useful. Unless of course, you don’t have one yet. Well, then maybe it’s time for you to tweak your resume a bit. A great way to improve your resume is to show your involvement with events surrounding your field. For example, if you’re going after a managerial position, being part of some sort of event or seminar that is about leadership would be a great thing to put on your resume! There are so many other things you can do. You can apply for certification courses offered online that have an amazing impact on your resume.

2. Do your research
Research is very important, let’s say that the company likes your resume and calls you for an interview. You have to know everything about them! From the previous CEOs to previous achievements or maybe even future plans, the more you know, the better the impression you’ll make on them. It really helps to know someone inside the company no matter what position. This way, you’ll be able to ask tons of amazing questions that could really boost your chances.

3. Clear up your social media
Oh no! Maybe you have a bit of stench on your social media. We’re not saying you shouldn’t post things you like. We’re just saying that maybe that not-so-in-control picture from last 2014 might surface up and your employer might see it! It’s better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes the employer tends to do a background check on the people they plan to hire and you better make sure that they are going to like the contents of your social media.

4. Brand yourself
The thing about work is that it’s not just them choosing you, it’s also you choosing them. Branding is very important. The moment you step in, you do not want them to think that you are going to be just another employee because of the similarities you have with them. You want to stand out! In fact, you want them to realize what they’re missing. Sell yourself!