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”...Once upon a time…”
“Let me tell you about the time I spent in
the mountains all night by myself –
unexpectedly…”
If you really want to draw your audience
closer to you, tell a story. It should be a
story about yourself or somebody you know.
Try NOT to repeat a story you’ve heard
elsewhere – even if it is a great story.
It’s still another person’s story, and you
lose something by telling another person’s
story – especially if there’s a chance some
of your audience has heard it before.
The magic of telling a story is that once
you’ve set the scene, your audience is
hooked. They want to hear the end of it, so
they’ll listen literally on the edge of
their seat.
Stories enrapture, they engage, they thrill…
Even though I recommend using your own
stories, IF you don’t have stories of your
own, you can judiciously use stories from
another source – but only sparingly, and
only until you’ve amassed enough stories of
your own.
So how many stories should you have?
According to Scott Ginsberg, The Nametag
Guy, you should compile fifty of your own
stories.
I think that’s a great idea. When I read
that a year or two ago, I started a file
called ‘50 stories’ and whenever something
keyed up in my memory, I’d jot it down in my
file.
Some stories were okay, some I thought were
good, others I figured I’d eventually toss
out.
But the idea is to just start compiling
stories – no matter what they’re about.
Chances are at some point you’ll find a use
for them in your speaking career.
Another great thing about telling a story to
support a point in your presentation is that
it’s YOUR STORY. Nobody else’s. It makes
your speech unique and more personable.
Plus – if it’s your story, it’s easy to
remember! You’ve lived it and internalized
it.
Keep adding to your personal story file.
Over time you’ll remember things that would
make a good story: the time your cat
vanished for a month and then came back. The
time you climbed a mountain. The time you
spent in high school as a drummer.
Whatever – just compile them, polish them,
and you’ll find places where they’ll fit in
your presentations.
Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon is VP of
Online Training and co-founder of
Communication Steroids, a public speaking
training company in Salem, Oregon.
He is also co-host of the
weekly podcast and editor of the weekly
Communication Steroids Inner Circle
Newsletter.
http://www.communicationsteroids.com
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