Introduction“Long ago, when the earth had not settled in its turning

and the stars had not found their places in the night sky, there were three kingdoms.

The first was the kingdom of the forest, ruled by the mighty Elephant. The second was the kingdom of the sea, ruled by the ferocious Shark. And the third was the kingdom of the air, ruled by the powerful Hawk.

And then there were the People, who needed the forest and sea and air for survival. But they were small and weak--no match for the beasts who dominated the kingdoms. Yet the People had a gift--the gift of storytelling.”The Three Kingdoms, by Walter Dean Meyers, (Harper Collins, 1997)

Though the nights that find us sitting around a fire telling or listening to stories are few and far between; still the stories need to be told. In our present-day world, the part of the storyteller will be played by the television, the computer, or the projection screen. And when you find the storyteller’s cloak around your shoulders, seek out your inner-child, and remember the magic of the story.

Some things to keep in mind to prepare for being magical include being passionate about your topic, for your body language will say more than your slides ever could. Celebrate your subject by showering it with creativity and artful representation. Take risks and break the rules. Be entertaining. Remember that less is more, so look to nature and art for inspiration. Then, let the magic begin!

PreparationYou didn’t think this would be easy, did you? Of course

anything that would be easy wouldn’t be magical. You have

to build your ideas and presentation from the ground, up. First of course comes the foundation. This includes wildly and passionately sketching out your ideas on paper to see what’s going to work. You’re going to need much more content than you’ll actually use, so don’t limit yourself during this part of the project. Anything that doesn’t fit can be tossed aside when the puzzle pieces start to form a picture.

Turn off your cell phone, Facebook, Pandora, or anything else that’s going to distract you now. It’s time to get in the zone. Create a quiet environment with lots of space and light, perhaps a window with a scenic view.

Think about your core point, and why it matters. If you can’t figure that out before you start, your audience will never get it through your presentation. Create handouts that fill in the details, and let you audience know they’re coming so they don’t feel they have to frantically take notes while you work your magic.

Concentrate on the six principals of good story crafting; simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Keep your slides simple and very visual. Rod Stewart tells us “Every Picture Tells a Story,” so use lots of them; about one per minute! Finally, know your stuff! To memorize in a child’s language means to know by heart. Love your material enough to know it in your heart.

DesignIs it really possible to send a more powerful message with a

simpler design? The answer is a resounding, yes! Design is not decoration, but the powerful arrangement of text and graphics to make a lasting impression.

Reynolds informs us there are seven design principals.1. Be conscious of your symbol to noise ratio, by filtering the

relevance of information.2. Weigh picture superiority.3. Use empty space as a powerful part of the design.4. Use contrast.

5. Employ repetition.6. Consider alignment.7. Play around with proximity.

In the realm of these principals, remember that pictures are always easier to remember than words. With that in mind, people are also drawn to faces, and placement of faces should be gazing at text, so your audience does too. Balance is also important to keep in mind, as well as using asymmetrical designs to deliberately make the empty space part of the flow of energy on the slide.

DeliveryI mentioned body language earlier, for it tells much of your story

for you. You need to be fully present when you are wearing the cloak of the storyteller. The way you use your voice, and your enthusiasm for your subject, will be contagious. Speak passionately!

Begin with a punch, and hook them from the start! Then use humor, novel ideas and unexpected revelations to reel them in. Your audience will feel most connected to you and your presentation if they feel you are sharing something personal with them. So tap into their emotions by sharing your memories.

To keep the audience with you, you can’t be a slave to the podium. You need to move freely around the front of the room, making eye contact as you go. Refer to your slides as infrequently as you can, and maintain engagement by involving your audience. As with all things, build the anticipation, and save the best for last!

Next StepThroughout history, storytelling has been considered an

art. In the oral history tradition, throughout the hundreds of years before the advent of books, stories were kept alive through the telling. These stories told of great deeds, taught lessons, and inspired their listeners to be more than they already were.

The tellers of these stories were the equivalent of our modern-day actors. They practiced the stories until they knew them inside and out, and then they embellished them with artistic flair. The arrival of a storyteller in a village or kingdom was cause for great celebration. Everyone wanted to be swept away by the magic of the stories! A storyteller

did not dare to disappoint! Their very life could depend on the effect their stories had on their audience!

To be an effective present-day storyteller, we must put much of the same energy into our stories as the traditional storytellers did. We must look all around us for inspiration, and have the flexibility to tweak our style and content as inspiration moves us to do so. We must use our creativity, and get out of our routines to breathe new life into our stories. We must read about and study our art, to challenge ourselves to continue to grow as storytellers. And we must practice our stories until we know them in our hearts; for it is that which we love, that we will then be able to convince others to love as well.

Reflections on Presentation ZenBy Garr Reynolds

© Janice Urban