In this episode of People Play Story, host Martin Kloss delves into the art of storytelling and how to communicate with impact. Drawing from his book, "People Play Story," we introduce listeners to his innovative 3x3 matrix, a tool designed to help anyone craft compelling narratives, whether for a novel, a presentation, or a simple conversation. The matrix is broken down into three key steps: motivation, content, and structure.
Martin emphasizes the importance of understanding your motivation, which involves tapping into your genuine passion and considering your audience's needs. He discusses how to choose a dominant emotion to drive your story and the significance of having a clear, memorable message. The episode also covers how to inspire action in your audience, moving beyond mere storytelling to create a call to action.
Listeners are guided through the classic three-act structure, learning how to set the scene, introduce conflict, and provide a resolution that leaves the audience pondering "what's next?" Martin's insights aim to empower listeners to tell stories that resonate deeply and inspire change. Tune in to discover how you can harness the power of storytelling to make your ideas stick.
[00:00:08]
Martin Kloss:
Hi, and welcome to People Play Story, a podcast about storytelling and how to communicate with impact. My name is Martin Kloss, and I'm a professional story coach and speaker trainer. I recently wrote a book. It's called People Play Story, but it's only available in German for now. So to help me reach a wider audience and spread the word about the power of stories, I created this podcast. Full disclosure, what you're about to hear is generated by an AI, courtesy of Google's notebook LM. And each episode is based on a different chapter of my book. I hope you enjoy it and that I can give you something to think about today. Have fun.
[00:00:53] Unknown:
Okay. So we all know a good story when we hear one. Right? Mhmm. But what if there was a way to, like, bake that in from the start? To really nail that structure every time. Exactly. Yeah. So that's what we're diving into today with this, This is gonna be good. Yeah. This is gonna be good. Yeah. With Martin Kloss's 3 by 3 matrix Yes. From his book, people, place, story. And you know what's so cool about this?
[00:01:16] Unknown:
It's not just for, like, novelists, you know, holing up in their cabin, trying to write the next best seller. Right. Just totally works for that, by way. Sure. Yeah. But this is for anybody who has to give a presentation or pitch an idea Or even just talk to another human Exactly. For more than 5 minutes. It's about making your idea stick. Okay. So no more death by PowerPoint then. No more because that's my biggest fear. The 3 by 3 matrix, though, does sound a little It does sound very confusing. Bevy. Well, a little intimidating. It does. But I think you'll find it's actually quite simple and elegant.
Okay. It's like this. Three steps, and each of those steps has 3 questions you ask yourself. K. And if you go through that process, Plus says it's like building a skyscraper.
[00:02:02] Unknown:
I like it. We've got a visual. Yeah. So where do we start? What's step 1? Step 1 is all about motivation.
[00:02:07] Unknown:
Okay. And this is where I think Kloss gets really smart because a lot of people talk about, you know, knowing your why. Right? Like, what's your why? Tell your why. Find your why. But he digs a little deeper, and he says it's not just about knowing it intellectually. It's about really tapping into that genuine fire in your belly. Oh. Like, that thing that makes this story yours to tell Yeah. Because it's something you're genuinely passionate about. So it's not just what you're saying. It's, like, why you're the one saying it. Exactly.
[00:02:35] Unknown:
Yeah. Okay. I could see how that would translate to an audience if you're really coming from that place of, like, this is my jam. Yeah. It bleeds through.
[00:02:44] Unknown:
Right? And so I think that's a really important distinction he makes there, but then he also says, okay. So you've got that fire in your belly. You've got your passion. You've tapped into your why, but you also have to think about who's on the other side of the table. Oh, right. Metaphorically speaking.
[00:03:00] Unknown:
Because, like, a roomful of venture capitalists is gonna need a little something different than my dog. Right. Although he's a very smart dog. I'm sure he is. He tries. But you see the point. Right? Like I do.
[00:03:10] Unknown:
Knowing your audience, tailoring your message, tailoring your language, even tailoring your humor to who you're talking to Yep. That's all part of this who. That makes a ton of sense.
[00:03:22] Unknown:
We've got our why figured out. We know who we're talking to. What's the final piece of this, like, motivational puzzle?
[00:03:29] Unknown:
So the final piece is the what, and I don't mean just, like, the topic of your story. Right? Like, I'm gonna talk about penguins today. Right. It's more about the change that you hope to inspire with this story. So what is that lasting impression? What's that moment that you wanna leave your audience with? So it's less about just entertaining
[00:03:49] Unknown:
and more about having, like, an objective in mind. Yes. Like, do I want them to invest? Do I want them to change their perspective on something? Do I want them to go try that new donut shop down the street that I love? I mean, hey. If that's your goal That's my goal. I'm with you. But yeah. Okay. But that clear objective,
[00:04:07] Unknown:
that's what gives your narrative a spine. It's not just meandering. It's purposeful. I'm seeing how this is different than just, like, you know, winging it and hoping for the best. Exactly right. And Which is often how I approach these things. We've all been there. Right? But once you've got that foundation of motivation Okay. That's when you can start building the good stuff. Okay. And that's where content comes in. Alright. So we're moving on to step 2 then, content. Content step 2. And this is where I think Kloss gets really, really interesting. Okay. He says, choose one key emotion
[00:04:37] Unknown:
One. That you want your audience to feel just 1. Just one that see, now that's where I feel like that might be a little limiting because isn't the beauty of a good story
[00:04:48] Unknown:
that it makes you feel like a whole bunch of stuff? It totally is. And I think, you know, if you think about the really great stories, they do evoke a lot of emotions. But Claass' argument here is that by picking one as the dominant emotion Mhmm. You're actually not limiting yourself. You're kinda like Oh. Amplifying. Interesting. Okay. Because if you try make me feel everything. Right. A little bit of this, little bit of that It all get muddled. You risk diluting that emotional core. Okay. It's like adding too many spices to a dish. Yeah. You lose the flavor. It just becomes this, like, muddled mush. Okay. So instead, we want, like, one really potent spice that cuts through. Unpowerful flavor. Okay. Got it. And the other important thing he says is it has to be immediate.
Okay. So he actually calls out trust as an example of an emotion that's too weak. Really? It's like trust. That's too it's too It's too slow of a burn. Yeah. It's too passive. Right? Yeah. He wants you to pick something that's gonna, like, grab your audience by the gut. Immediately. Immediately. Yeah. So Okay. So what are some examples of these, like, powerhouse
[00:05:51] Unknown:
emotions? So curiosity is a big one. Oh. Excitement. Even a touch of fear can be really effective. Oh, right. Because then you're like, oh, what's gonna happen? Exactly. I'm on the edge of my seat. Keep them on the edge of their seats. Okay. So I've got my, like, power emotion locked and loaded. What's next?
[00:06:09] Unknown:
So once you've got your emotion, then you need your message. Okay. And remember how we were talking about the what in terms of, like, your objective? Right. Right. Your message is where that comes into play. So this is your one liner. Okay. This is the core idea that you want your audience to remember even if they forget everything else. So it's like that earworm of a song that gets stuck in your head, and you're like, why do I know all the words to this? Exactly. That's such a good analogy. But this time, it's like a good idea Exactly. Instead of some bubblegum pop song. Maybe it's both. Maybe. But Kloss actually uses this great analogy. He says, imagine being woken up at 3 AM. Oh. Oh. And someone asks you, okay. What do you remember from that presentation?
Okay. What's the one thing that sticks out? And if you can answer that,
[00:06:54] Unknown:
that's your message. I love that. That's good. Right? Yeah. Because it's so easy to overexplain things It is. And overcomplicate.
[00:07:02] Unknown:
So this really forces you to distill it down Okay. To its essence. Yeah. I like it. Alright. So I've hooked them with the emotion.
[00:07:09] Unknown:
I've hammered home my message.
[00:07:11] Unknown:
What's the final piece of this content puzzle? So the final piece is the goal, and this is another area where I think Kloss really pushes us beyond just storytelling as entertainment. Okay. He wants us to think about what action
[00:07:23] Unknown:
we want to inspire in our audience. So it's not enough to just tell a good story. Yeah. We wanna actually, like, make something happen. Exactly.
[00:07:30] Unknown:
Every story has the potential to be a call to action. So think about what is it that you want your audience to do? Right. Do you want them to volunteer their time? Do you want them to reconsider their perspective on a certain issue? Do you want it to go try that new donut shop? If that's your goal, I'm there. I mean, hey. You never know what's gonna spark that. That's right. But yeah. Okay. So it's like moving beyond just passive listening to, like, active engagement. Exactly. And he stresses the importance of being specific here. Okay. Don't just hope that they'll walk away vaguely inspired. Right. Tell them what you want them to do. Yes. Okay. So we've got the motivation. We've got the content. We're ready to inspire some action.
But how do we actually, like,
[00:08:12] Unknown:
take all these pieces and structure them into a story that really works? Right. So that's where that final step comes in the structure. Yeah. And here, Klaas relies on a really familiar framework,
[00:08:24] Unknown:
the classic three act structure. Oh, like all the best movies and books we love. Exactly.
[00:08:29] Unknown:
Exactly. It's tried and true. Okay. And he goes really in-depth on how to apply this to any story, even a 5 minute presentation. Okay. So we're not writing, like, the next great American novel here. No. But we can still use this to our advantage. Absolutely. Okay. So act 1, what is that? So act 1 is all about the introduction.
[00:08:45] Unknown:
You're setting the scene. You're introducing the players, but Klaus cautions against just giving some boring agenda. Right. No one wants that. No. Who wants to listen to that? He says, start with a question. Something thought provoking Okay. Or an unexpected twist, Something that immediately makes the audience say, wait. What? Tell me more. Hook them right from the get go. Exactly. And then you move into act 2. Okay. And this is the problem. The drama. The conflict. Yeah. The tension that keeps your audience engaged. Because every story needs conflict. Yeah. Right? Like, that's what makes it interesting. Exactly. And the greater the conflict, the more invested your audience is going to be in seeing how it unfolds.
[00:09:25] Unknown:
Okay. So we've set the stage. We've introduced the conflict.
[00:09:28] Unknown:
What's next? Act 3, the resolution. Okay. But I feel like sometimes resolutions can be a little too neat and tidy. Right. And that's where Kloss gets really interesting. He says the resolution doesn't always have to be the end of the story. It can be a beginning. I like that. Right? It can be a new path forward, a change in perspective,
[00:09:45] Unknown:
a call to action. So it's not about, like, wrapping things up with a neat little bow. It's more about leaving your audience with this feeling of, like, what's next? Exactly. And I think that's what makes this whole 3 by 3 matrix so powerful.
[00:09:58] Unknown:
It's not just about telling a good story. It's about making it resonate on a deeper level
[00:10:03] Unknown:
and really inspiring some kind of change. So we've explored the science behind what makes a good story. We've got a framework for actually building 1, and now it's your turn to take these tools and go tell those stories. Right. The world needs your story. So go out there and inspire someone. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Until next time.
[00:10:28] Martin Kloss:
Hi, everyone. It's me again. Just a quick note before I let you go. I hope you found today's episode entertaining, engaging, and maybe even inspiring. If you did, please spread the word. And if you didn't, please keep it to yourself. And if you wanna know more, have any questions, or wanna work with me, please get in touch with me on martinklaus.com or on LinkedIn. Now have a great day. Go out and do something fun.
Hi, and welcome to People Play Story, a podcast about storytelling and how to communicate with impact. My name is Martin Kloss, and I'm a professional story coach and speaker trainer. I recently wrote a book. It's called People Play Story, but it's only available in German for now. So to help me reach a wider audience and spread the word about the power of stories, I created this podcast. Full disclosure, what you're about to hear is generated by an AI, courtesy of Google's notebook LM. And each episode is based on a different chapter of my book. I hope you enjoy it and that I can give you something to think about today. Have fun.
[00:00:53] Unknown:
Okay. So we all know a good story when we hear one. Right? Mhmm. But what if there was a way to, like, bake that in from the start? To really nail that structure every time. Exactly. Yeah. So that's what we're diving into today with this, This is gonna be good. Yeah. This is gonna be good. Yeah. With Martin Kloss's 3 by 3 matrix Yes. From his book, people, place, story. And you know what's so cool about this?
[00:01:16] Unknown:
It's not just for, like, novelists, you know, holing up in their cabin, trying to write the next best seller. Right. Just totally works for that, by way. Sure. Yeah. But this is for anybody who has to give a presentation or pitch an idea Or even just talk to another human Exactly. For more than 5 minutes. It's about making your idea stick. Okay. So no more death by PowerPoint then. No more because that's my biggest fear. The 3 by 3 matrix, though, does sound a little It does sound very confusing. Bevy. Well, a little intimidating. It does. But I think you'll find it's actually quite simple and elegant.
Okay. It's like this. Three steps, and each of those steps has 3 questions you ask yourself. K. And if you go through that process, Plus says it's like building a skyscraper.
[00:02:02] Unknown:
I like it. We've got a visual. Yeah. So where do we start? What's step 1? Step 1 is all about motivation.
[00:02:07] Unknown:
Okay. And this is where I think Kloss gets really smart because a lot of people talk about, you know, knowing your why. Right? Like, what's your why? Tell your why. Find your why. But he digs a little deeper, and he says it's not just about knowing it intellectually. It's about really tapping into that genuine fire in your belly. Oh. Like, that thing that makes this story yours to tell Yeah. Because it's something you're genuinely passionate about. So it's not just what you're saying. It's, like, why you're the one saying it. Exactly.
[00:02:35] Unknown:
Yeah. Okay. I could see how that would translate to an audience if you're really coming from that place of, like, this is my jam. Yeah. It bleeds through.
[00:02:44] Unknown:
Right? And so I think that's a really important distinction he makes there, but then he also says, okay. So you've got that fire in your belly. You've got your passion. You've tapped into your why, but you also have to think about who's on the other side of the table. Oh, right. Metaphorically speaking.
[00:03:00] Unknown:
Because, like, a roomful of venture capitalists is gonna need a little something different than my dog. Right. Although he's a very smart dog. I'm sure he is. He tries. But you see the point. Right? Like I do.
[00:03:10] Unknown:
Knowing your audience, tailoring your message, tailoring your language, even tailoring your humor to who you're talking to Yep. That's all part of this who. That makes a ton of sense.
[00:03:22] Unknown:
We've got our why figured out. We know who we're talking to. What's the final piece of this, like, motivational puzzle?
[00:03:29] Unknown:
So the final piece is the what, and I don't mean just, like, the topic of your story. Right? Like, I'm gonna talk about penguins today. Right. It's more about the change that you hope to inspire with this story. So what is that lasting impression? What's that moment that you wanna leave your audience with? So it's less about just entertaining
[00:03:49] Unknown:
and more about having, like, an objective in mind. Yes. Like, do I want them to invest? Do I want them to change their perspective on something? Do I want them to go try that new donut shop down the street that I love? I mean, hey. If that's your goal That's my goal. I'm with you. But yeah. Okay. But that clear objective,
[00:04:07] Unknown:
that's what gives your narrative a spine. It's not just meandering. It's purposeful. I'm seeing how this is different than just, like, you know, winging it and hoping for the best. Exactly right. And Which is often how I approach these things. We've all been there. Right? But once you've got that foundation of motivation Okay. That's when you can start building the good stuff. Okay. And that's where content comes in. Alright. So we're moving on to step 2 then, content. Content step 2. And this is where I think Kloss gets really, really interesting. Okay. He says, choose one key emotion
[00:04:37] Unknown:
One. That you want your audience to feel just 1. Just one that see, now that's where I feel like that might be a little limiting because isn't the beauty of a good story
[00:04:48] Unknown:
that it makes you feel like a whole bunch of stuff? It totally is. And I think, you know, if you think about the really great stories, they do evoke a lot of emotions. But Claass' argument here is that by picking one as the dominant emotion Mhmm. You're actually not limiting yourself. You're kinda like Oh. Amplifying. Interesting. Okay. Because if you try make me feel everything. Right. A little bit of this, little bit of that It all get muddled. You risk diluting that emotional core. Okay. It's like adding too many spices to a dish. Yeah. You lose the flavor. It just becomes this, like, muddled mush. Okay. So instead, we want, like, one really potent spice that cuts through. Unpowerful flavor. Okay. Got it. And the other important thing he says is it has to be immediate.
Okay. So he actually calls out trust as an example of an emotion that's too weak. Really? It's like trust. That's too it's too It's too slow of a burn. Yeah. It's too passive. Right? Yeah. He wants you to pick something that's gonna, like, grab your audience by the gut. Immediately. Immediately. Yeah. So Okay. So what are some examples of these, like, powerhouse
[00:05:51] Unknown:
emotions? So curiosity is a big one. Oh. Excitement. Even a touch of fear can be really effective. Oh, right. Because then you're like, oh, what's gonna happen? Exactly. I'm on the edge of my seat. Keep them on the edge of their seats. Okay. So I've got my, like, power emotion locked and loaded. What's next?
[00:06:09] Unknown:
So once you've got your emotion, then you need your message. Okay. And remember how we were talking about the what in terms of, like, your objective? Right. Right. Your message is where that comes into play. So this is your one liner. Okay. This is the core idea that you want your audience to remember even if they forget everything else. So it's like that earworm of a song that gets stuck in your head, and you're like, why do I know all the words to this? Exactly. That's such a good analogy. But this time, it's like a good idea Exactly. Instead of some bubblegum pop song. Maybe it's both. Maybe. But Kloss actually uses this great analogy. He says, imagine being woken up at 3 AM. Oh. Oh. And someone asks you, okay. What do you remember from that presentation?
Okay. What's the one thing that sticks out? And if you can answer that,
[00:06:54] Unknown:
that's your message. I love that. That's good. Right? Yeah. Because it's so easy to overexplain things It is. And overcomplicate.
[00:07:02] Unknown:
So this really forces you to distill it down Okay. To its essence. Yeah. I like it. Alright. So I've hooked them with the emotion.
[00:07:09] Unknown:
I've hammered home my message.
[00:07:11] Unknown:
What's the final piece of this content puzzle? So the final piece is the goal, and this is another area where I think Kloss really pushes us beyond just storytelling as entertainment. Okay. He wants us to think about what action
[00:07:23] Unknown:
we want to inspire in our audience. So it's not enough to just tell a good story. Yeah. We wanna actually, like, make something happen. Exactly.
[00:07:30] Unknown:
Every story has the potential to be a call to action. So think about what is it that you want your audience to do? Right. Do you want them to volunteer their time? Do you want them to reconsider their perspective on a certain issue? Do you want it to go try that new donut shop? If that's your goal, I'm there. I mean, hey. You never know what's gonna spark that. That's right. But yeah. Okay. So it's like moving beyond just passive listening to, like, active engagement. Exactly. And he stresses the importance of being specific here. Okay. Don't just hope that they'll walk away vaguely inspired. Right. Tell them what you want them to do. Yes. Okay. So we've got the motivation. We've got the content. We're ready to inspire some action.
But how do we actually, like,
[00:08:12] Unknown:
take all these pieces and structure them into a story that really works? Right. So that's where that final step comes in the structure. Yeah. And here, Klaas relies on a really familiar framework,
[00:08:24] Unknown:
the classic three act structure. Oh, like all the best movies and books we love. Exactly.
[00:08:29] Unknown:
Exactly. It's tried and true. Okay. And he goes really in-depth on how to apply this to any story, even a 5 minute presentation. Okay. So we're not writing, like, the next great American novel here. No. But we can still use this to our advantage. Absolutely. Okay. So act 1, what is that? So act 1 is all about the introduction.
[00:08:45] Unknown:
You're setting the scene. You're introducing the players, but Klaus cautions against just giving some boring agenda. Right. No one wants that. No. Who wants to listen to that? He says, start with a question. Something thought provoking Okay. Or an unexpected twist, Something that immediately makes the audience say, wait. What? Tell me more. Hook them right from the get go. Exactly. And then you move into act 2. Okay. And this is the problem. The drama. The conflict. Yeah. The tension that keeps your audience engaged. Because every story needs conflict. Yeah. Right? Like, that's what makes it interesting. Exactly. And the greater the conflict, the more invested your audience is going to be in seeing how it unfolds.
[00:09:25] Unknown:
Okay. So we've set the stage. We've introduced the conflict.
[00:09:28] Unknown:
What's next? Act 3, the resolution. Okay. But I feel like sometimes resolutions can be a little too neat and tidy. Right. And that's where Kloss gets really interesting. He says the resolution doesn't always have to be the end of the story. It can be a beginning. I like that. Right? It can be a new path forward, a change in perspective,
[00:09:45] Unknown:
a call to action. So it's not about, like, wrapping things up with a neat little bow. It's more about leaving your audience with this feeling of, like, what's next? Exactly. And I think that's what makes this whole 3 by 3 matrix so powerful.
[00:09:58] Unknown:
It's not just about telling a good story. It's about making it resonate on a deeper level
[00:10:03] Unknown:
and really inspiring some kind of change. So we've explored the science behind what makes a good story. We've got a framework for actually building 1, and now it's your turn to take these tools and go tell those stories. Right. The world needs your story. So go out there and inspire someone. Thanks for joining us on this deep dive. Until next time.
[00:10:28] Martin Kloss:
Hi, everyone. It's me again. Just a quick note before I let you go. I hope you found today's episode entertaining, engaging, and maybe even inspiring. If you did, please spread the word. And if you didn't, please keep it to yourself. And if you wanna know more, have any questions, or wanna work with me, please get in touch with me on martinklaus.com or on LinkedIn. Now have a great day. Go out and do something fun.
