The story that fails to land can still deserve a listener who remains warm.

A story that does not land leaves someone standing in the open. The teller can hear it failing while they are still speaking, and what happens next belongs to the room rather than to them. A listener who stays warm, asks the follow-up question or simply keeps their face kind takes the sting out of a small exposure. It costs almost nothing and it is remembered.

When the next attempt falls flat near you, respond anyway. Ask what happened afterwards. And if it was you who told it, try to be as easy on yourself as you would have been on somebody else.