Every so often, people like to talk about the most overused words in the English language, so-called buzzwords, that people just can’t seem to say enough. The primary concern of these discussions is that overused words lose their meaning, which has more or less become the case for the word ‘unique’.
Unique is defined as “existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics.” Considering the prevalence with which the word is used these days, indeed it seems that the original meaning has been lost. Everything and everyone is unique now, which is blatantly counterintuitive to the word’s origins.
However, we must find a way to harness the power of ‘unique’. If we can find a way to make our presentations unique, we have a much better chance at making our audience remember what we’re saying. If our presentation is unique, it will be memorable, significant and powerful.
Luckily, there’s still a tried-and-true way to achieve true ‘uniqueness’ in our presentations and that is through storytelling. No presenter should underestimate the power of the humble story. Stories reveal something about yourself to the audience, they frame abstract, complicated notions in a realistic context, and they lend emotion to otherwise dry, dull information.
Stories are, by their own definition, particular to the storyteller. They are personal and individual, even if the story is not the storyteller’s own. They relate to the audience something they didn’t previously know or understand, and they do so in a non-threatening way. Stories promote discussion and interaction, while hard data and statistics sometimes evokes a defensive response, a ‘yes or no’ reaction.
“Stories can almost single-handedly defeat the Curse of Knowledge. In fact, they naturally embody most of the SUCCESs framework,” write Chip and Dan Heath in Made to Stick. “Stories are almost always concrete. Most of them have emotional and unexpected elements. The hardest part of using stories effectively is making sure that they’re simple– that they reflect your agenda.”
Stories will make your ideas stick. They will nuance and decorate your presentation. That distracted audience member might not remember your three points as they walk out, but they will remember the emotional story you told to conclude. They will remember the moving story you told to introduce your ideas. It’s the stories they’ll remember, not the specific data or the statistics.
Don’t forget the power of the story when crafting your next presentation. If the idea of including a story seems daunting, think of it as a challenge. How can you present that data in a story format? What experiences have you had recently that are relevant to your message? How can you make the content of your presentation unique through storytelling?
