Why Many Stories Fall Flat in the Final 10 Seconds

I am coaching a speaker as she prepares for one of the biggest keynotes of her career. Her story is powerful, full of resilience and triumph. As she runs through her story, I am captivated... until it just... stops. She smiles, says thank you, and that's it. There is no call to action and no invitation. I deliver the news, gently: her ending isn't serving her or the audience. She pushes back because she doesn't want to sound salesy. And while I do definitely understand her concerns, I explain that, while her story hits hard, her ending needs to hit home. So we roll up the sleeves and get back to work, keeping the emotional core intact and reshaping her closing into a call to action that mirrors the emotional arc of her story. And guess what? It doesn't feel forced; her final line ties back to her opening message and invites the audience to step into their own transformation. When she takes the stage, the response is absolutely incredible. After delivering her Talk, a flurry of people approach her. One of them ends up booking her. Another one wants to feature her in an article. One person even tells her that the challenge she issued changed something significant for them. In this episode of the Storytelling School Podcast, you'll learn why having a CTA (Call To Action) at the conclusion of your story is so important. In the process, you'll discover why your CTA needs to be consistent with the emotional tone of your story, and get answers to questions like: How can you get your message to ripple out further than the audience in front of you? What kind of change could you inspire if your story didn't simply end with "The End"? How do you turn an emotional story into impactful action? What you will learn in this episode: Why your Talk needs a clear CTA (Call To Action) What are the different CTA types and when to use them How to make sure that the CTA fits your story's emotional tone Why keeping things simple is crucial A little about me: Hi there. I'm Kymberlee. As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I've had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I've seen what works when influencing change and what doesn't. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That's why I'm building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people's lives. Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You'll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teach my clients to do the same. If you think business owners can't tell stories or don't have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There's no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value. Now it's your turn... If you're ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you've come to the right place. Links and Resources Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

You can listen to Why Many Stories Fall Flat in the Final 10 Seconds online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Why Many Stories Fall Flat in the Final 10 Seconds is an episode from Storytelling School by Kymberlee Weil.

This episode is 20:15 long.

This episode was published on May 22, 2025.

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