5 Tips for Better Storytelling
Tina Poon
Let me set the scene of you. You’re sitting in the creaky, dated chair of your company’s board room patiently waiting for a meeting to start. The manager who called the meeting in the first place, and whose job function you’re not 100% certain about, is fumbling nervously trying to fix the inevitable tech issue that has arisen. When PowerPoint finally comes up, the presenter dives right into the first slide filled with numbers, tables and a scary amount of small text.
You’re furiously trying to follow the presenter’s train of thought, which consists of facts around company performance and KPIs, but the ideas are disjointed and lost on you. You leave the meeting with a vague understanding of one key point, and a detailed grocery list you completed somewhere between slide 20 and 55. It’s another case of a meeting gone wrong. But how do you tell a better, compelling presentation? Read on for must-know tips and tricks to keeping your audience captive!
Storytelling in PowerPoint
Presenters often associate storytelling with children’s bedtime tales of pirates and princesses, but storytelling is 100% relevant in the business world. Stories are engaging, cohesive ways of communicating ideas. Standalone facts and figures are difficult, but when placed in the context of a story, they become relevant, easier to follow and memorable. A 3% decrease in sales becomes more meaningful if you tell the story of a struggling retailer and a tough economy. If you’re having trouble creating a flow to your PowerPoint, try to write a story using just the title of each slide. This ensures each slide contributes to the overarching storyline, and the presentation flows.
People don’t remember how you do things, they remember why you do things
Click, listen to and absorb this brilliant, original Ted Talk from Simon Sinek (https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action). Not only it is my all-time favourite talk, it’s life changing and profound when applied to every aspect of life. When you start with the WHAT, it speaks to the mind; but when you start with the WHY, it speaks to the heart. When you speak to the mind, people remember facts; when you speak to the heart, people remember emotions.
Goldfish and humans have many similarities, but I’ve forgotten most of them…
Humans, particularly modern day humans in today’s digitally charged world, have the ability to accurately retain 3 main points. Unfortunately, most complex ideas normally involve more than 3 points, but the overall context of a presentation can usually be summarised, condensed and configured to fit the aforementioned structure. Having 3 solid points will also help the presenter summarize and condense their slides to surround and support these main ideas.
Wash, rinse & repeat
“Tell ’em what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell ’em what you said,” says Dale Carnegie, storyteller extraordinaire.
His tip is probably the most well known and oldest advice about presenting there is, and for good reason. Repetition is the key to retention. I repeat, repetition is the key to retention. Naturally, this doesn’t mean you should repeat the same sentence over and over again. It can also mean to approach the same idea from multiple angles. Repeat the final concept, but perhaps use different stories to come to the same conclusion in a different way.
Find genuine enthusiasm in your story
Audiences feel and react to your passion. When you’re genuinely excited about your story, they will be too. But what if you feel uninspired by your story or feel nervous ahead of your talk? Thankfully, researchers have found that holding “Power Poses” ahead of a presentation can help you feel empowered, regardless of your previous mental state. This is another fantastic Ted Talk to watch while preparing yourself to deliver a meaningful, memorable presentation.
What are your favourite tips and tricks when it comes to storytelling? Share them in the comments below!
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