How to Tell a Great Vacation Story

Taken any good vacations lately?

It's a question you'll hear at business dinners, conferences, client meetings and friendly get-togethers. And you'll want to be prepared to tell a good story.

The good news is, you don't have to relate a boring yarn. In fact, you really shouldn't be, because storytelling is also an essential business skill, says Chip Heath, co-author of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

"We often think of the stories [people] tell as a form of entertainment, but they are a way of letting people know what you're like, and what you're about. Your listener is evaluating you as someone they'll potentially do business with, and they're listening for how you respond to challenges," he says. ...