Each Wednesday our blog post is dedicated to storytelling. Stories are part of our DNA here at Ethos3. We’re adamant believers that presentations are stronger and more compelling if anchored in a story. And the evidence is clear: we’re storytelling animals. We tell ourselves stories in order to live. For the next 4 weeks, we’ll be posting excerpts of our story– the presenter’s story– from our Manifesto for Presenters. Download your copy of the e-book here.
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We must remember to nurture our left-brain’s emotional counterpart. It is a mistake to call it the weaker of the two. On the contrary, it is strong and resilient and critical. For what is life without creativity? What is life without intuition? What is life without expression? Without art? Without music? It is the delicate right side of our brains that give us culture. And it is our experiences with culture that give us the stories that shape our lives.
Our presentations can change the world. Our stories must intoxicate our audiences.
Stories communicate where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going. They describe our motivations and they dissect our fears. They nuance our views and they make clear what is difficult to explain. They reassure us when we feel alone and they settle our hearts when we feel aflutter.
We rely on stories to show us possibilities: who we could be, who we want to be and how we can get there. Facts, data, statistics– those dense necessities– can mean anything depending on what story the storyteller chooses to tell. Stories provide data with context and significance; they explain why we should care.
We are presenters.
It’s often said that when a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world, it can cause a tsunami in another faraway part of the world. The butterfly effect: Small events can have large, widespread consequences.
In the grand scheme of things, we are microscopic. We are minuscule. We are minute. But our microscopic actions, our minuscule words, our minute lives have consequences, results, effects. What we choose to say and how we choose to live is important. Our actions could trigger something unintended, something crucial, something vital.
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Click here to download the entire Presenter’s Manifesto.
