February 16, 2026
This is how most stories feel: like there’s nothing to lose.
But when you show what could go wrong, the story changes. The higher the risk, the more people care.
If you want people to care about your story, you need stakes.
Stakes mean what could you win or lose in that situation.
And here’s a simple way to raise the stakes in your story. I call it the G.R.I.T or GRIT framework.
Imagine opening Google Maps, but you don’t type the destination. You just start driving one street after another.
You keep turning thinking that you might get somewhere. And 30 minutes later, you’re nowhere, lost, annoyed, and now you’re late as well.
That’s what a story without a goal feels like.
If we don’t know what you want, we can’t care about what happens next.
The goal tells your audience what you’re trying to achieve.
For example:
And it doesn’t have to be dramatic.
It can be simple, but hey, once the goal is clear, we can add a little pressure here.
Risk is what could go wrong.
What could you lose if this doesn’t work out?
Risk can show up in many ways:
Maybe your confidence is on the line
Maybe your reputation is on the line
Maybe a team member or family member is counting on you
You can use simple lines like:
“If this flops, I’ll look stupid in front of 200 people.”
“If I fail here, my boss won’t trust me ever again.”
“If this deal falls through, we’re back at zero.”
Now, when people understand what’s at stake if you fail, they lean in. They want to know what happens next.
But risk is only one side of the story. There’s also the other side.
This is what you could gain if everything goes right.
The reward or upside.
Maybe it could help your career. Maybe it could help you improve a relationship. Or maybe it just helps you prove something to yourself.
You can use lines like:
“Hey, if I pull this off, I might land my dream client.”
“If I get this right, she might say yes.”
“If I nail this pitch, we might get funding.”
When people know what you could win, they start rooting for you.
But to make it even more gripping, there’s one more piece. T for time.
Think back to the last action movie you watched. I mean, Die Hard, Mission Impossible, Top Gun, any movie.
What do they all have in common? There’s always a time crunch.
24 hours to stop it
10 minutes to get out
60 seconds before the bomb explodes
That’s not coincidence. Time pressure raises the stakes and makes your listeners care.
For example:
I had 5 minutes before the meeting started
The store closed in 10 minutes
I had to fix it before my boss walked back in
It’s so simple, but time pressure makes any story much more interesting.
Now that we’ve covered the four ways to raise stakes, let’s look at how this works in a real story.
Here’s a short story from Ryan Reynolds. As you watch, see if you can spot which parts of GRIT he uses:
I wanted to get an earring as a kid. I thought that that would be a good idea.
My brother said, “You’re going to die. You’re going to show up at dinner tonight and dad there will be a messy stabbing death because dad will take one of the utensils and stab you.“
I went off with one of my friends and his mom and we went to Sears or wherever the hell you go and she signed the consent form. I got an earring.
I came home and I remember my face being so flush with blood and heat, thinking about this impending disaster that was about to happen.
And I get to the dinner table, he mutters some swear word under his breath or something like “you f**ks” or something like that. And I kind of look up and I look around and I see that all three of my brothers had gotten an earring to sort of save me.
Ryan uses the G and R from GRIT.
So for goal, he tells you right away what he wants. He wants to get an earring.
Very simple, right? Very obvious.
And for risk, he shares exactly what he thinks his dad will do when he finds out.
That’s goal and risk working beautifully together.
And what’s also cool about it, you don’t need all four parts every time.
Even two of them used well can make any story much more interesting.
That’s it for today, but if you’re curious what other techniques can further spice up your story, check out this next article where I break down some of my favorite storytelling techniques.
See you there.
P.S. Want to become a stronger communicator?
Here are two ways I can support you:
👉 Want to tell more engaging stories? Join our next Storytelling Workshop.
👉 Want to speak with confidence and clarity? Check out our Communication Skills Training.
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