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MISTAKES IN STORYTELLING5
Carmen Simon
WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF
STORYTELLING
Sadly, not too manybusiness presenters knowHOW OR WHENTO TELL A STORY
MISTAKE #1Some presenters announce: “Let me start with a story”
“Let me start with a story” triggers the wrong mindset for business
audiences, who typically “don’t have time for stories”
TO TELL A STORY WELL,YOU MUST TRANSITION TO IT WELL
SAYING SOMETHING LIKE:
“Here is how we can prevent the disaster that happened last year” GETS PEOPLE’S ATTENTION MORE THAN ANNOUNCING:
“Let me tell you a story…”
“You don’t need a title to be a leader. Here is an example that illustrates this point. Three weeks ago…”
STARTING WITH THE CONCLUSIONis an effective way to get attention in a business setting:
MISTAKE #2Some presenters think they are sharing stories, when in reality, they are sharing facts
TAKE A LOOK ATTHE NEXT SCREEN
It has the makings of a story, but it’s just facts
The average American has a 23-minute commute, which isn't all that bad. But for many Americans, that trip is much longer. Some of those long commutes are by choice. Some people choose to live far away from the office for better schools, a bigger house, or to be closer to family and friends. Others get stuck in a long commute when they lose their jobs and end up not being able to find anything closer.
The average American has a 23-minute commute, which isn't all that bad. But for many Americans, that trip is much longer. Some of those long commutes are by choice. Some people choose to live far away from the office for better schools, a bigger house, or to be closer to family and friends. Others get stuck in a long commute when they lose their jobs and end up not being able to find anything closer.
THIS IS NOT A STORY BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENS
A story must have a distinct time, place, character, and an event THAT HAPPENED FOR A PURPOSE
MAKE YOUR AUDIENCE WONDER: “…THEN WHAT HAPPENED?”
MISTAKE #3Some presenters get the hero wrong
ALL GOOD STORIES HAVE A HERO
In most corporate presentations, you oryour company is the heroAUDIENCESDO NOT CARE ABOUT THAT
MAKE YOUR AUDIENCE THE HERO
SHOW THEM HOW THEY BECOME THE HERO WHENTHEY ACT ON YOUR MESSAGE
“Imagine yourself the leader in your industry” works better as a story intro than “Let me show you what our company does.”
MISTAKE #4Some presenters don’t relate stories to people’s experiences
If someone tells you a story about flying into space, but does not relate it to your routines or thoughts, that story is quickly FORGOTTEN.
STORIES BECOME MEMORABLE WHEN WE CAN
RELATE THEM TO OUR EXPERIENCES
In a recent episodeof Mad Men, Peggy Olson pitched Burger Chef. She drew on the Apollo 11 landing and the family connection the event created at the time.
Then she linkedthe idea of family connection createdby the Moon landing to the connection people feel at the dinner table. STORIES WORK BEST WHEN WE LINK THEM TO PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES.
MISTAKE #5Some presenters mention a story only once
STORIES HAVE HIGHER RECALL THAN FACTS, but that still does not guarantee people will remember your particular stories.
THESE DAYS, WE ARE DROWNING IN STORIES
If a story makes an important point,ALLUDE TO IT MULTIPLE TIMES TO MAKE SURE your audiences don’t forget it.
Find out other reasons people forget your content and what you can quickly do about it.
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