When advising people about public speaking, there is a lot of advice that I offer. I advise them on what topic to choose. I make suggestions about what gestures to carry out at various points of a speech. I may even discuss what attire will best reflect a particular presentation's subject matter.
But there is one piece of advice that I come back to again and again because it is, quite possibly, the single most important recommendation that I can provide in regards to improving someone's public speaking ability. If someone follows this piece of advice, they can often choose the wrong topic, move the wrong way and wear the wrong clothes and still make an impact on the audience.
The recommendation I speak of is to skillfully employ within their delivery stories.
Storytelling, when considered in all of its complexity, is possibly the most powerful form of communication in which humans can engage. Stories can move people in ways few other things can. And it is no surprise when we consider the roots of storytelling among humanity.
From the time of our appearance on earth, our ancestors needed to remember huge amounts of information. Yet, until only very recently, they could not very conveniently write it down. They had to rely, most of the time, on their memories. And what is one of the most prominent mnemonic techniques? That's right...weaving data together into a coherent story. That is what they did. Furthermore, certain members of the group were especially charged with being storehouses of this oral tradition and these talented storytellers were looked up to or even, at times, revered.
Today, we have many methods for external storage of huge amounts of information. We have at our disposal everything from paper notepads to massive racks of computer servers. So stories are not as necessary for memorization assistance as they once were (though they can still be useful in this capacity). Yet, the human brain has not changed much since those olden times and, as a result, it remains biologically primed for engaging with stories. This is a fact of which all public speakers should take advantage.
There are certain features that make a story more likely to intrigue your audience so that they will remember your speech for months or years to come. You should be sure that your stories involve some of them. The list includes:
*Start with suspense - Begin your story in a compelling manner that puts people on the edge of their seats unsure of what will come next
*Give them someone to relate with - Audiences respond to stories that involve people that they feel share traits with them
*Repeat your central thesis - Several times during the telling of the story, say a similar line that listeners are sure to remember when they later try to recall what the story was really about
*An unpredictable ending - The element of surprise makes a story really grab us, especially when it comes towards its end
No matter what your topic is or who you are speaking to, there is almost always a way to incorporate story into your speech. Some speeches consist of nothing but one long story. Others consist of multiple stories. Some just have one or two stories mixed in for illustration's sake. There is no one formula for how to use storytelling because it depends on the particular circumstances. But just about any speech can be improved by at least including some element of that powerful human communication tool, the story.
But there is one piece of advice that I come back to again and again because it is, quite possibly, the single most important recommendation that I can provide in regards to improving someone's public speaking ability. If someone follows this piece of advice, they can often choose the wrong topic, move the wrong way and wear the wrong clothes and still make an impact on the audience.
The recommendation I speak of is to skillfully employ within their delivery stories.
Storytelling, when considered in all of its complexity, is possibly the most powerful form of communication in which humans can engage. Stories can move people in ways few other things can. And it is no surprise when we consider the roots of storytelling among humanity.
From the time of our appearance on earth, our ancestors needed to remember huge amounts of information. Yet, until only very recently, they could not very conveniently write it down. They had to rely, most of the time, on their memories. And what is one of the most prominent mnemonic techniques? That's right...weaving data together into a coherent story. That is what they did. Furthermore, certain members of the group were especially charged with being storehouses of this oral tradition and these talented storytellers were looked up to or even, at times, revered.
Today, we have many methods for external storage of huge amounts of information. We have at our disposal everything from paper notepads to massive racks of computer servers. So stories are not as necessary for memorization assistance as they once were (though they can still be useful in this capacity). Yet, the human brain has not changed much since those olden times and, as a result, it remains biologically primed for engaging with stories. This is a fact of which all public speakers should take advantage.
There are certain features that make a story more likely to intrigue your audience so that they will remember your speech for months or years to come. You should be sure that your stories involve some of them. The list includes:
*Start with suspense - Begin your story in a compelling manner that puts people on the edge of their seats unsure of what will come next
*Give them someone to relate with - Audiences respond to stories that involve people that they feel share traits with them
*Repeat your central thesis - Several times during the telling of the story, say a similar line that listeners are sure to remember when they later try to recall what the story was really about
*An unpredictable ending - The element of surprise makes a story really grab us, especially when it comes towards its end
No matter what your topic is or who you are speaking to, there is almost always a way to incorporate story into your speech. Some speeches consist of nothing but one long story. Others consist of multiple stories. Some just have one or two stories mixed in for illustration's sake. There is no one formula for how to use storytelling because it depends on the particular circumstances. But just about any speech can be improved by at least including some element of that powerful human communication tool, the story.
About the Author:
Knowing a few public speaking guidelines can jumpstart your communications success. Find out where you can get help public speaking.
Comments
Post a Comment