Storytellers Make Great Presenters
One of the best books I have read on the art of storytelling is Matt Dick’s recently published book, “Storyworthy” (Get it through Amazon). Matt Dick is a 36-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM (Check out The Moth). He knows a few things about how to find stories, construct them, and deliver them to audiences. If you can tell a story or two in your presentation your audience will love you. Here are a few tips from his book.
Finding great stories: The best stories are often hidden right in front of us. You might have had an exciting trip or an experience you want to tell your audience. However, what audiences want are stories they can relate to and that hold meaning for them. It’s the small everyday occurrences that often make the best stories. So, how do we find stories to tell and inject them into a presentation?
Matt recommends an exercise he calls Homework for Life. You don’t need anything fancy for this exercise. An excel spreadsheet with two columns will do. Start by labeling one column for the date and the other for keywords. Then, every evening, reflect on your day and record “any meaningful memories” you had. Don’t write out the whole story, just the one sentence that will allow you to remember what happened at a later date.
It’s simple and easy to do. Over a period of time you will have collected many stories or potential stories so that your well does not run dry.
Constructing st
ories: A fundamental truth for all great stories is that the main character goes through some sort of transformation. The biggest surprise with this transformation is that it only takes 5 seconds to occur.
Yes, those 5-second moments can be defined as (but not limited to) losing a loved one, falling in love, taking that winning shot or accepting that first kiss. These are the types of moments to look for as you are doing your Homework for Life. This is when change happens. This is what makes a story interesting. It’s what will captivate your audience and keep them engaged.
Telling stories: Tell your story in present tense. Telling your story in present tense places yourself in your story so that you can “see” your story as you are relaying it. This effectively draws your audience into the story with you. They can see the sights, smell the scents, and hear the sounds as you tell your story. Some people have a hard time telling their story from the present tense. I challenge you to try it. See what a difference it can make.
Storytelling is an art that, with practice, can become your speaking superpower.