Telling a Story: Connect, Don’t Distract
Your goal while presenting is to be engaging, personable, and informative. One of the easiest ways to increase your enthusiasm and connect with your audience while presenting is to tell a story. But there are some guidelines you should follow to make sure your story doesn’t take you off topic.
- Relevant. If your story doesn’t relate to your topic or help highlight a point you are trying to make, don’t tell it!
- Own. Tell your own story, not someone else’s. If you can re-live your own experiences, your personality, energy, and enthusiasm will shine through more than if you tell a story that didn’t happen to you.
- Short. Keep the story under two minutes. If the story is much longer, it will distract from instead of enhance your presentation.
- Enthusiasm. The best stories are lively and fun, creating natural enthusiasm.
Telling stories helps personalize the information you are presenting. Use the above guidelines to tell an engaging story that will help your audience identify with your information.
Make Every Presentation Great,
Sheri Jeavons
