20 years of storytelling for business by international trainers and storytellers Speakers' Corner
International trainers and storytellers

Always start with a story

There’s no better way to open a presentation. Audiences love stories. They’re more open to hear a story because they hope it will take them on a journey which will be emotionally rewarding, uplifting and most often inspiring.

 

If you’re not already a storyteller, how can you become one? We recommend finding a story every day and using it.

 

The media and internet are full of them. Here’s 4 classic ways to build stories from your own experience.


1. A time you shined. Share your experience where you tried something and it worked for you and others.
2. A time you blew it. People like to hear about failures, it makes you more human. Successful people always have failure stories. That’s how they learn.
3. A Mentor. We can all relate stories of people we learnt from – a teacher, university lecturer, family members, a boss. These stories show two important qualities – humility & gratitude.
4. A Book, Film or Current Event. Every day the media is full of stories which if relevant to the point you want to make, creates a fresh impactful way to tell a story.


Remember, always to be on the lookout for a story. You’ll know when you’ve found a strong story by the impact it makes on you. Does it go in deep? Is there a lesson in it? Is it making a single point? Is it memorable? Are you excited by it? Do you want to re-tell it?

 

And if you still need convincing of the power of a story, research shows that after a presentation 63% of your audience remember a story but only 5% remember a fact.

barrygraham

Posted by Barry Graham on Saturday, January 6th, 2018 in FeaturesNews
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