Telling Stories That Stick
Transform everyday anecdotes into compelling narratives that hold any room's attention. Learn how to skip boring preambles, build momentum through cause and effect, and deliver endings with genuine impact.
Like Duolingo, but for Telling Stories That Stick. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 7 levels across 2 sections, about 14 minutes end to end, roughly 3 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Hooking and Holding the Room and Sticking the Landing. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Telling Stories That Stick
- Opening with an active sensory moment drops the listener directly into the scene
- Protracted chronological backstory or setup before reaching the core event causes listeners to lose focus quickly
- Crucial background details can be sprinkled in naturally later once listeners are already engaged
- Stating the stakes upfront gives listeners an immediate emotional reason to care about the outcome
- Knowing what could be won or lost creates tension rather than giving away how the conflict gets solved
- Setting a brief normal routine makes the sudden break feel vivid and destabilizing
- The sudden shift from ordinary to unexpected makes listeners immediately wonder how the protagonist handled the rupture
- Flat descriptive openings that describe general states without a disruption fail to create narrative curiosity
- Signaling the emotional destination early acts as a promise that keeps listeners engaged through necessary backstory
- Audiences willingly tolerate detailed context when they understand what emotional payoff it leads toward
- Apologizing for setup or rushing it signals to listeners that the story is losing momentum
- Stringing beats together with 'and then' creates a flat list of occurrences rather than a compelling story
- Linking events with 'therefore' shows direct consequence, while 'but' introduces unexpected obstacles that propel action
- Stories feel gripping when each beat directly triggers or complicates the next beat
- Repeating the same difficulty or failed attempt at the same level stalls narrative tension
- Each successive attempt should cost more, take bigger risks, or bring the character closer to disaster
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Telling Stories That Stick the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
You're telling a story about your food truck breaking down. Which opening line pulls listeners in fastest?
Get it right to open this lesson and 6 more in the app.
How to learn Telling Stories That Stick, step by step
Go in order. 7 short levels across 2 sections, about 14 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Hooking and Holding the Room
- Dropping Straight into the Action
- Building Momentum Through Cause and Effect
- 2
Sticking the Landing
- Delivering the Payoff
2 sections · 3 units · 7 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Telling Stories That Stick
How do I learn Telling Stories That Stick?
Go in order: start with Hooking and Holding the Room, then Sticking the Landing. On Tomo that's 7 short levels, about 14 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Telling Stories That Stick?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Telling Stories That Stick is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Telling Stories That Stick course free?
Yes. Telling Stories That Stick is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Telling Stories That Stick?
7 levels across 2 sections, about 14 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Telling Stories That Stick?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Telling Stories That Stick is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Telling Stories That Stick today.
Download Tomo, search Telling Stories That Stick, and play your first lesson in under a minute.