Tell it like it is: Comedian Mike Birbiglia's guide to better storytelling

Mike Birbiglia: A lot of times the best way to find out what the story is about is to walk onstage without having it completely nailed down. Because it’s in that moment of pressure where, almost, your party instincts kick in. Like where you’re at a party and someone’s like, “Hey Mike, tell that story from college about how you overslept for class and missed the final.” You get onstage and the audience is staring at you. You’re feeling out the crowd, and you’re feeling out what they’re identifying with, and you kind of go to that. That’s like taking the big piece of stone and chipping it into something that might be a bird, or might be a dog of some kind—it’s something, but it’s not a stone anymore.

Tell it like it is: Comedian Mike Birbiglia's guide to better storytelling / The Onion AV Club / By Steve Heisler / September 17, 2009