How to Heighten Your Storytelling Skills

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This Week’s Episode:

“Stop. Make it more interesting.” Those are the words I hear from my instructor Jennifer Bascom while pretending to sip tea on stage in a high stakes improv class in Los Angeles. With all eyes on me, that exercise marked a turning point in my skills as a performer. And...those simple words have gone on to have a huge impact on my storytelling craft. Jen knows the art of story. She has performed comedy and improv on stage and television, she’s a playwright, and you may have seen her in a Super Bowl commercial or two. In my time with her, I’ve learned skills that will stay with me forever and she has a lifetime’s worth of knowledge to share.

In this episode, she and I spill the tea on how improv really feels in the moment for performers, translating improv skills to the speaking circuit, and bringing concepts and teachings to life in a new way through storytelling. Not only do we share impactful improv stories, we also discuss the essential ingredients for great storytelling.

What you will learn in this episode:

  • Why emotions can make you a better storyteller
  • How to get people to connect with your stories
  • What improv lesson best lends itself to effective storytelling

Who is Jen?

Jennifer Bascom is a performer, writer, and sought-after improv coach. From Los Angeles to Qatar, she has taught improv around the world working with business organizations, corporations, comedy festivals, and theater companies. But her extensive resume includes a feast of TV, commercial, stage, online, and written works.

On television, Jen has been on various programs like The Bachelor, Jimmy Kimmel, House Hunters Renovations, America’s Cutest Kids, True Beauty, and others. She’s appeared in commercials for the likes of Progressive Insurance, Fox Sports, and Healthy Choice, including Super Bowl ads for General Motors and Walmart. She also writes for and acts in the web series, RelationFix and The Greeting Card Critic.

On the stage, Jen toured with Second City Theatricals and performed on Comedy Central, at Disney’s Comedy Warehouse, SAK Comedy Lab, RI Shakespeare Company, and in the Our Life and Times Review show off-Broadway. She was part of the original cast for Presumed Murder and has participated in several workshop casts with Disney Imagineering.

In 2018, Jen received an invitation to give a TEDx talk, and the following year she became a published playwright. In a post-pandemic world, her all-female improvised Shakespeare show Shrew will hit the road. Right now, she’s writing a play for Lineage Theater Co., an original content video game with NBCU, and you can see her on U-Jokes with Jonathan Mangum and ComedySportzLA’s virtual stage.

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Links & Resources

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"Storytelling is an art form - and Kymberlee Weil is the master! I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the most talented creatives in the world, and Kymberlee is close to the top of that list. She has an uncanny ability to uncover nuance and layers in a story - details often overlooked by the author - and has a deep understanding and connection with the value of well-executed presentation. Working with Kymberlee is more than a journey, it’s a transformative experience."
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JULIAN REEVE

SPEAKER, AUTHOR, FORMER MUSIC DIRECTOR OF HAMILTON
"Kymberlee helped me tremendously in the weeks leading up to my TED talk and afterwards. I have given hundreds of talks to audiences big and small. But the TED stage is a different beast -- every word matters.Kymberlee kept me on point, focused, and she took the time to figure out what my objectives really were and how to get me there. She is a true master of her trade and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from her."
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JUNA KOLLMEIER

ASTROPHYSICIST, TED SPEAKER
"I thought I had public speaking down pat. I've addressed audiences all over the world ranging from 62 to 1000 people. But going into that red circle at TEDx, and connecting with a vastly diverse audience is like moving to another planet. Kymberlee made that move effortless and exciting. As a former Green Beret, I have followed a lot of quality leaders and coaches, and I would follow Kymberlee anywhere… Especially into the red circle."
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LTC (RET.) SCOTT MANN

GREEN BERET, ENTREPRENEUR, STORYTELLER, TRAINER, COACH, AUTHOR