- The Productive Disruptive
- Posts
- 3 ways to ruin a perfectly good story
3 ways to ruin a perfectly good story
Every Tuesday, The Productive Disruptive delivers storytelling science, message makeovers, cultural commentary, and a little rebellious hope for anyone still stubborn enough to believe communication can change the world.
Dorian Johnson
October 13, 2026
Did a wise PHriend forward this to you? [Subscribe here.]
When you think about what you want in a job, you probably have a list.
Good pay. Supportive leadership. Opportunities to grow. Some perks.
And you probably also know what you want to avoid.
Micromanaging. Unnecessary meetings. A workplace with “we’re a family” energy (ick)
And speaking of meetings, I am a meeting’s biggest hater.
Last week, I had three meetings on Friday alone. 😭
But here's the thing: Knowing what you want is helpful. Knowing what you want to avoid can be just as valuable.
And the same goes for storytelling.
I’ve spent plenty of time discussing what makes stories engaging, memorable, and persuasive.
But learning to recognize what weakens a story gives us another way to improve.
Here are three storytelling mistakes worth recognizing before your audience does.
1. Excessive throat clearing
You ever listen to someone tell a story and think, "BABY, GET TO IT"?
They introduce themselves, explain the background, define a few terms, add context, and suddenly we're three minutes in with no actual story.
That's what I’m calling throat clearing.
Your audience has limited time and attention. Every unnecessary detour gives them another opportunity to check out.
Try this: Find the moment where something interesting happens, changes, or goes wrong. Consider starting there.
You can always add some more context and detail once people are locked in.
2. Living in the abstract
"Our organization is committed to improving community access and promoting equitable outcomes."
Noble.
But what does that actually look like?
Now consider:
"A mother took two buses to get her child to a clinic, only to discover it was closed."
Suddenly, we have a person, a situation, and a problem we can picture vividly.
Abstract language can communicate big ideas, but those ideas often need something concrete to bring them to life.
Try this: Look for broad words like access, engagement, or empowerment. Can you show your audience what one of those words looks like in real life?
3. The non-ending ending
You've introduced the characters. Built some tension. Taken us on a journey.
And then...
"Well, that's my story. Thanks for listening."
HUH?
You brought us all the way here! Wrap that thang up proper.
Your ending gives people something to take away from what they've just heard.
Maybe you want to shift their perspective. Maybe you want them to feel something deeply. Or maybe you want them so fired up that they're ready to do something about it.
Those are three useful ways to think about your ending:
Call to think: What do you want your audience to reconsider?
Call to feel: What emotion do you want them to leave with?
Call to act: What do you want them to do next?
A good story can help people recognize a problem, rally around an idea, or imagine what's possible.
Try this: Before you finish your story, ask yourself, "What do I want my audience to think, feel, or do afterward?"
Then give them an ending that helps make it happen.
🧠 Story Science Side Note: In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath introduce six principles that help ideas become memorable. One of them is concreteness.
The more abstract our language, the harder it can be for people to understand exactly what we're talking about.
Concrete details give our audience something they can picture and make sense of.
The authors also discuss the Curse of Knowledge: Once you know something, it becomes difficult to imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't.
That's particularly important for people who spend a lot of time working in specialized fields.
Sometimes we're so familiar with our own ideas that we forget other people aren't living inside our heads.
And by the way, I HIGHLY recommend Made to Stick. It's one of those books that can change how you think about communicating ideas.
📝 Message Makeover:
Before: "Our community faces significant barriers to accessing essential healthcare services."
After: "A mother took two buses to a clinic, only to find the doors locked."
Concrete details help your audience picture the problem. From there, you can introduce statistics and broader context to show how widespread it is.
🛠️ The PHacilitator’s Corner: The Three-Question Story Check
Grab something you've written recently. A presentation, social post, newsletter, whatever.
Read it again and ask:
Where does my story actually start? Cut anything that unnecessarily delays it.
What can my audience picture? Replace one abstract statement with a concrete example.
Where am I taking them? Give your audience something meaningful to think, feel, or do.
Now, pick one thing to improve and make the edit.
Small edits can make a big difference in how your story lands.