We’ve all fallen asleep at least once during a speech or presentation.
Boring presentations are a rite of passage, from childhood, Standard 5 graduations, to adult life’s business meetings and lectures. But, at some point, all professionals should learn how to get presentations and public speaking right.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to use stories… Good stories!
Stories help us to connect with audiences. They help audiences to perk up.
But how do you tell a good story?
How do you gauge if people will enjoy it?
Telling a good story means making your audience the focus… It’s all about them. Not you.
Make them the reason you’re telling the story.
Make the protagonists/core characters relatable to your audience, and their issues.
Instead of talking about how innovative your company is, talk about how people are doing great things with your product.
Show the lessons in the story. Tell your audience how they can use these lessons to get better results.
When you take your audience through a plot/narrative that’s relatable and helpful, you’re on your way to engaging an audience who wants to hear more of what you have to say.
Here are some other reasons why stories make you a better speaker.
1. Stories sell ideas.
Rattling off 50 features about a product won’t help you sell more, or convince your VP to approve your idea. But how those features helped someone? That’s persuasive.
2. Stories help people to remember better.
They make your ideas sticky. Why? Because stories are easier to remember than information that has no context.
Like marketing gurus Chip and Dan Heath said: “After a presentation, 63% of attendees remember stories. Only 5% remember statistics.”
Link a great story to your key point. Let the story bring your facts to life. Even if people forget your point momentarily, when they recall the story, the point will come back to them.
Stories also engage the deeper parts of our brain – the hippocampus and amygdala – where emotion and memory work together. When you target logic and emotion, it increases recall.
3. Stories target emotions.
When you tug at people’s heart, you get a stronger reaction. Your story should push the right buttons. Discuss people’s concerns. Use scenarios that evoke specific emotions… Joy… Pain… Relief.
Show them the challenges and triumphs you and your team went through… Take them on a journey. Tap into their curiosity.
How does this work in the corporate environment?
Here’s an example:
Your company had a problem. It was bad… really bad. You knew you needed to fix it… fast! You hired a consultant. But the consultant’s plan didn’t work. So what did you do? You crowdsourced ideas from staff, who came up with a strategy that a conservative company like yours wouldn’t normally use… And it worked!
You took the beating as the first Trinidadian company to experience this problem, but here’s how others can use the same technique to keep/get themselves out of ‘a tight spot’.
See how that worked?
We’re all programmed to listen to a good story. One filled with suspense. One that teaches us something new. One that we can use as a guide.
4. People are interested in other people’s lives.
It’s always interesting to learn something about the speaker.
At my workshops, I use numerous stories to show participants how to apply techniques. I also tell them the story of how I got into training.
To make a long story short, after just leaving my job as a marketing and public relations manager to start my business, a friend called and asked me to fill in for her at a workshop at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. I told her no.
I had delivered speeches before, but run a workshop for three days straight?
After some back and forth, she convinced me to do it. Not only did I do it, I realised I was great at it, loved it, and pivoted my business model to focus on communications training.
When I tell participants this story, they lean in more. They realise that I was once like them… unsure of my vast potential to command people’s attention.
Telling stories makes you more approachable. Your audience sees that you understand their concerns and needs.
A good story will always work in your favour.
All you need to do is figure out which stories will boost your audience’s attention and interest.
You’ll avoid boring them, and you’ll become an engaging, memorable speaker.
Want to improve your presentation skills? Join us @ “Mastering Presentations & Public Speaking” at Queen’s Hall.