Last night, I saw something miraculous. A television comic host told an exciting and deeply personal story in a way that engaged his audience and united them in pleasure and empathy. The host – one Seth Meyers by name – had just had an unusual experience: his wife had given birth in the lobby of their New York apartment building. What with the fire department, the EMTs, and New York's Finest all being present for Baby Axel's birth, Meyers barely made it to work on time. He was obviously still feeling the adrenaline rush as he shared the story with his live audience. I hope you can see this video: it's entertaining, heart-warming, and instructive. Because it shows us a really good example of how to tell a personal story.

Personal stories are good. They're real. You're involved. With luck, the audience gets involved. Of course, luck isn't the only factor. There are rules to be observed in telling a personal story. If you follow these rules, you'll be a good anecdote-sharer. Your audience will appreciate you. What are they? Seth Meyers knows them all, so we'll look at how he told this tale in order to learn.

In case you can't view the Youtube video from where you are, or don't care to, here's the story in outline:

As soon as it became evident that Alexi (Meyers' wife) was in labour, they called an Uber to take them to the hospital. The couple, along with family and friends, headed down to the apartment house lobby. In the lift, the contractions began coming very close together. By the time they reached the lobby, the baby was crowning. There was nothing for Alexi to do but what she did: lie down on the lobby floor, give birth, and cradle the baby while emergency help arrived.

Everyone helped. While Meyers was on the phone to 911 describing this rapid event, the doorman steered incoming residents away from the nativity scene. Neighbours fetched blankets and heated clean towels in their dryers to wrap the newborn. Police, fire, and emergency medical technicians arrived. Firemen cut the umbilical cord (they're trained), and the EMTs gave Alexi oxygen. The Uber driver was dismissed, but insisted on being paid, anyway. Alexi went to the hospital by ambulance. There are photos: Axel Meyers is a beautiful baby, and will have a very interesting story to tell for the rest of his life.

Here's how Seth Meyers made this a perfect story – and remember, he was probably still in shock after the day's events:

• He didn't make it about him. Of course it isn't: his wife had the baby. This seems so obvious you shouldn't mention it, but trust me: it isn't. I know people who, if you fell off a ten-storey building, would make it about them. If their son or daughter had a nervous breakdown, the story would be the inconvenience this caused Mom and Dad personally. (To be fair, they probably contributed significantly to the event.)
  
  Seth Meyers made the story about his wife, naturally, but also about everyone else who was there at the time: the doorman, the neighbours, the emergency workers, even the self-involved Uber driver. When Meyers mentioned himself – after all, he was there – he lampshaded his own self-interest by pointing out that the EMTs didn't offer him any oxygen, and that he got choked up 'thinking how brave I was'. That was a master touch. That's why this man is a professional.
• He didn't waste time with irrelevant details. You are tired of hearing me say this. Tough. It cannot be said often enough. If a detail is important to the story, include it – but work it in so that doesn't interrupt the flow of the narrative. When telling a story, the emphasis should be on the listener's pleasure, not your own. Pausing to explore your memory for small details of no interest to anyone but yourself is a disservice to the narrative. Don't do that.
• He didn't waste time explaining background. Meyers' show is viewed nationally (and internationally). You may notice from the Youtube comments that some Americans queried the couple's transportation choice. Don't they have their own car? Other Americans explained patiently what it's like to live in New York City, the anomalous place in the USA where not everyone drives.
  
  Have you experienced that sinking feeling? You know the one: when you've submitted a carefully-written entry to Peer Review, only to have everybody on h2g2 involved in a discussion that goes hare-ing off on a discussion of irrelevant minutia, while ignoring what you thought was the main point? If so, you are not alone.
  
  That has happened to me so often that I usually re-read my entries with an eye to removing the details that contrary readers are likely to seize upon in order to avoid reading the story you wrote. Yes, that's adversarial on my part. I recommend this Defensive Writing Technique. You'll feel much better. It usually works, unless you can't avoid talking about boiling potatoes, in which case all bets are off.
• He didn't make the story about personal preferences or opinions. In spite of what Facebook tells you, the world doesn't revolve around your consumer choices. (They only tell you that so that they can steal your data.) Consumer choices are not what makes you interesting. There were many, many opportunities in that story to talk about how Seth and Alexi prefer this colour scheme, this food or restaurant, why they don't drive in New York City, etc. You don't notice them, because Seth Meyers didn't fall into that trap.

Unless you're Freewayriding – who seems to be incident-prone – you may never have a personal story to tell that's quite as exhilarating as Seth Meyer's baby story. But who knows? You might. In the meantime, you can make less than life-or-death experiences lively enough to engage the reader. Just remember to include enough facts (but not too many), keep the narrative flowing, and get yourself and your personal preferences out of the way of things.

You may not get your own television show – but you, too, can be a sought-after raconteur.

PS: On the topic of this month's Create theme, which has been 'Favourite Places', I suspect that lobby will hold memories for the Meyers clan…. Also, late-breaking news: the Uber company refunded the couple's money for the ride they didn't take. Why, you ask? Er, any idea how many people heard Meyers tell that story on television?

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Dmitri Gheorgheni

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