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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