There are billions of ways to tell a story and millions of avenues with which to tell it. Storytelling has been around as long as humans have, and for good reason. Storytelling is the most effective way to get a point across. People live for stories. People are passionate about stories. Movies, books, television, magazines– nearly all media– is designed with a story in mind. The story is what hooks the audience; the story is what keeps them reading, listening, wanting more.
Of course, as times change, so do stories and the ways we communicate those stories. Technology has revolutionized storytelling. People talk about the death of the printed book, a thought that only 20 years ago would make most people laugh. There’s a good chance children born today won’t know what a newspaper feels like in their hands. Though these changes may break the hearts of those particularly nostalgic, the essence of what these physical forms of storytelling are is still intact. People will never tire of stories, and that’s something worth noting.
Use this passion for stories, inherent in each of us, to make your presentations more effective. No great presentation should be without a great story. Each Wednesday, on this blog, we’ll discuss storytelling. We’ll present you with effective ways to tell a story, ideas on how to better form your stories and ways to bring more creativity into your stories.
Flash fiction is a fun place to start. No more than 1,000 words (frequently, much less) flash fiction is a great way to begin or end a presentation. By definition it must be concise and succinct. A classic example of flash fiction comes from the venerable Ernest Hemingway:
“For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”
A masterful example, indeed. With only six words, Hemingway conveys an entire story and imparts upon his reader a feeling that isn’t easy to forget. Clearly, he would have rocked Twitter. Another classic example is Raymond Carver’s Little Things.
Flash fiction pieces are effective because they convey so much in so few words. Brevity is paramount and, increasingly in our digital age, essential. Attention spans are shortening at a rapid pace, so go with the flow and shorten your story. Visualize the beginning, middle and end of your story so it has some semblance of structure. Then brainstorm the quickest way to get from one to another without losing anything essential.
Try writing a haiku of your story. Maybe you remember the haiku structure from your elementary school days: three lines composed of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and again, 5 syllables. Try plugging your story into that format, then flesh it out. As always, remember to not tell your audience something, but show them. Hemingway’s story wouldn’t have resonated with us for decades if it had been: “Paul and Mary’s baby died in childbirth.” Instead, we remember it because it painted a picture for us of what happened, letting us come to our own conclusions with our own feelings.
Ira Glass, host of NPR’s “This American Life”, says that an anecdote should raise questions and offer a moment of reflection, provoking the audience to consider what it means. Employ these suggestions in your presentation. Create a story that matters, that elicits questions in the audience’s mind.
A well-told story is crucial to the effectiveness of a presentation, whether that story is ten thousand words long or six. Be brief, be bold and be compelling– in as few words as possible.
