Post on 27-Jan-2015
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Make Your Presentation Stick (3)The Art of Story Telling!
Tell stories in a way that are persuasive, memorable, & inspiring
Reach the hearts & minds of the audience though well crafted story telling
“The shortest distance between two people is a story.” Terence Gargiulo
Once Upon A Time……. Story telling has been around since the
beginning of time It’s a natural communication method that
we first experience as infants. Parents build their emotional bonds through story telling.
Social & education systems embed moral & ethical messages through carefully crafted story telling & characters, e.g:Little Red Riding Hood, Don Quixote, Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, etc
In the 21st Century of digital media dominance, individuals are switching to digital media to convey their stories, e.g; You Tube (the leading short-subject digital story teller)
Stories at Work, Stories that Work! Stories work for leaders as an effective communication &
engagement technique for 3 key reasons: 1. Stories convey emotion effectively and emotion
merged with a strong idea is persuasive. We remember what we feel, so our emotions inspire us to take action.
2. Stories are concrete & transport us to a place in time where we can see the events recalled in our mind’s eye. This makes stories powerful memory aids.
3. Stories represent a pull strategy, unlike the push strategy we use when we argue a point. Stories engage listeners, pulling them towards agreement & persuasion, rather than imposing opinion, ie; pushing them to resist
The Corporate Perspective Of Story Telling Stories are part & parcel of successful
business cultures, e.g: 3M thrives on its reputation as an innovative company & the well known story of how Post It Notes came about, serves as an eternal eulogy
Successful business leaders use storytelling as their hallmark, e.g; Warren Buffet
Successful commentators engage with their audiences through their anecdotal stories
3 Strategies for Powerful Story Telling
Special
Succinct
Successful
1. Special: Anchor It
Start your story by putting it in a time & place zone:
E.g. ‘ Last summer, in Alexandria…’ ‘Just after Prince William & Kate’s wedding….’‘1 year after I left university & travelled to the US…..’‘Do you remember the London Olympics? Well, it was then ….’
AlliterationUse alliterative phrases, to keep audience attention & aid retention e.g.: Success Stories Eager Editors Larger than LifePowerful Presentations Magnificent Metaphors
Personalise Make your story about them, not you, help the audience to see themselves in the storyAdapt your story details so it
resonates with the audience’s experiences & values
Choose vivid & relatable examplesRelive it as you tell it – put passion in
your voice as your story unfolds; make it seem spontaneous to catch the audience curiosity
2. Succinct: Trim the FatDon’t get caught up in too much
detail, the audience will switch off
Keep it short, corporate life is about fast things first
Portion control the contents, don’t overload listeners, break your story contents into ‘manageable chunks’ & skillfully feed it in.
The Power of 3 Arrange the details in triplets. Our
brains process information more efficiently in groups of 3.
e.g. • Television: BBC, ITV, MBC, CNN• Business: CEO, CFO; MBO; GDP,
GNP, WWW• Science: Liquid, Solid or Gas Animal
Vegetable or Mineral• Government & Law: IRS, FBI, CID,
Dial 999 or 911,
3. Successful Stories Link your story to a concrete
outcome or result Create a ‘feel good’ factor Make sure the underpinning
message is full of optimism & hope
Keep it authentic, your audience will love you for it
End on a positive note on every occasion, your audience will remember you for it
SummaryWhy:
Use:
How:
• To build & maintain rapport• To create authenticity & uniqueness• To communicate a meaningful &
persuasive message
• A 3 step approach: Special, Succinct & Successful
• Anchor it; Alliterate; Personalise it; Trim the Fat; Triplets; Say Successful Stories
Hope you found this slideshow informative
Email: helenat@britishtutors.org