Story Changes Everything

Do your presentations still look like this?

Point. Slide. Explanation. Repeat.

If your presentations follow that pattern, it’s not enough.

You can have the best data in the world, the most beautiful slides, and a perfectly structured presentation.

And, still, you risk losing your audience.

Why?

There’s no humanity, and as an audience member, this is a pattern that quickly becomes dull. Showing your human side gives the room permission to come alive with an engaging energy and inviting the audience to relax.   

Create Humanity Through Story

“Tell me about a struggle, or a conflict in your life.”

That is my response when I hear, “I don’t have a story. I’m not creative and my life is not interesting.”

I hate to give you the bad news, but you are.

You were born creative, and your life is unbelievably interesting.

Grab a piece of paper and write down in point form your life journey:  think about all the twists and turns that got you to where you are right now. You will quickly find you have lots of stories of success, triumph, and failure or misdirection.

Voila, now you have some material you can use in your presentations!

Story is like a loud bell that rings unexpectedly to interrupt the slide pattern and wake up the audience.

Introducing a story changes the pace and tone of a presentation replacing passive listening with active engagement.

A well-placed story can transform a presentation from something people politely sit through into something they actively lean into.

Now, that’s powerful.

What makes a story fascinating?  It’s yours.  No one else can write it or tell it like you can. Your emotional connection makes it interesting, and creative!

It’s also relatable to the audience. We can all relate to a struggle. That’s life, and we’ve all been there.

Get Vulnerable to Get Results

Getting vulnerable can take courage, and some getting used to, if you are shy, new to presenting, or intimidated by the room you are in.

Yet, adding in a personal story is worth it, every time.

If you think back, any speaker you were really impressed by likely shared some personal stories to demonstrate their point, and left you thinking, “I’ve felt like that before” or “that happened to me”.

What this is really doing is making the audience part of the conversation.

They feel like they belong, and that changes everything.

A story takes the material off the page and brings it to a real-world setting. It creates a visual world through imagination. The story turns the material into being relatable and memorable as you bring the audience into the experience visually and emotionally.

No slide can achieve this visual effect.

Authenticity Brings Success

Likely your presentation has a goal or objective to meet, and the truth is, people want to work with people they know and trust.

A story is a way to build that bridge faster. You are more approachable by sharing natural humor and human moments into your presentation.

Stories demonstrate your message in action by turning abstract ideas into something real with emotional responses sparking curiosity, empathy, surprise, and connection.

So, the next time you are trying to write of story. Grab a piece of paper and jot down your life journey in point form. Review what you wrote. Look for the struggles, the conflicts, and what you did to overcome them. Take a deep breath and share your story.

Trust me, the audience will eat it up.

Still not convinced? Here are the facts:

• Story is imperative to a successful presentation. Period.
• Stories create faster connection through visualization.
• Short and simple is better than long and complicated.
• Stories bring the human side of struggle, challenge and triumph to life
• Even a toddler will stop to listen to a story!

For ways to work with me visit www.chrismcauley.co or email chris@chrismcauley.co.