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If you want to tell
a good story during your next presentation, take a lesson from Ira
Glass, producer of the
This American Life, a public radio
program that features wonderful non-fiction stories.
In an interview
published on You Tube, Ira Glass talks about keys to telling a good
story. To view the interview
click here. For anyone interested in learning how to deliver
presentations that grab listeners and hold them, it’s worth
listening to Glass’s ideas.
Tell a Series
of Events
Of course, the
first key to a good story is describing a series of events. Glass
points out that almost any series of events, when told in the
sequence they occurred, will make a decent anecdote. That’s because
there is an inherent tension in any series of events.
To the extent that
you can find ways to heighten the tension, that’s even better.
The listener presumes that you eventually will relieve the
tension. Here’s an example of a story you might hear from an
investment banker:
“Six months ago my telephone rang and it was Fred Jones. He
told me that he owned the largest dog food company in the
southeast. I asked him what kind of dog food he made. He told me he
specialized in making canned organic dog food. He then told me that
he wanted to take his company public but that he was worried that no
one could make Wall Street understand the value of an organic dog
food maker.”
This may seem like
a mundane set of facts. But actually we find it quite interesting,
especially because it’s filled with concrete details. There’s also
some nice tension in it. The listener wonders whether the investment
banker is going to find a way to make Wall Street understand the value of this
company.
Have a Moment
of Reflection
Glass next points
out that a good story needs a moment when the teller stops and tells what it all means. Too often, he says, stories
don’t have much of a moral.
We agree that the
“moral” is a key to telling a good anecdote during a presentation.
In our mind, the presenter must make it clear why the audience
should care about the story.
So often, we
hear people tell stories but forget to tell what it all means
to the audience. The speaker might assume that it’s obvious or simply
forget. But forgetting to tell the point of the story is fatal. The audience is left wondering “Why did she
tell me that?”
In the investment
banker story, perhaps it ends with the banker coming up with a great
way to tell Wall Street about the value of the dog food company.
But what is the
point of the story? Why should the audience care? Perhaps the
story is an example of how skilled this banker is at selling Wall
Street on the value of unusual businesses. Whatever the point,
be sure that you make it clear.
Great presentations
have great stories. The keys to telling great stories are relating a
series of events while building and then relieving tension. But then
you have to make sure that you tell the audience why they should
care.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
