4 Steps to Telling a Great Story

A good story not only has the ability to increase audience engagement, but studies have shown that engaging stories increase information retention by 65-70%. That is a significant jump in comparison to the 5-10% retention that takes place when information is presented as statistics and facts.

With such compelling evidence in favor of implementing great stories into presentations, it is shocking that we don’t focus more on them.

Here are 4 fool proof steps to creating an engaging and impactful story.

Set the Stage.
This is a vital part of every great story especially when presenting. Setting the stage draws your audience into the story helping transport them to the scene of your story. Failing to embrace this step will leave your audience disconnected from the beginning and cause your story to fall flat.

Quick Tip: Setting the stage is like painting a scenery. It takes time and attention to detail. As you begin to develop your story, don’t skimp on what may seem like meaningless details. These could be the exact pieces that draw your audience in and get their buy in.

Create the Tension.
Tension creates the felt need of your story. Think of a great novel you have ever read or exciting movie you have watched- there is one thing they all have in common: tension. Tension is the part of your story that draws your audience to the edge of their seats. It is the way to encourage your audience to embrace the felt need that you are presenting. Without tension your story will come across as inauthentic.

Quick Tip: When creating a tension moment make it emotional. Emotion drives humans and it actually increases memory and accuracy. As a presenter it is easy to skimp on the emotion but don’t. Be sure you embrace and exude whatever emotion you are trying to convey.

Build the Plot.
To be completely honest, this is the area that I struggle most with when it comes to telling a great story. For whatever reason when it comes to fully developing the plot, I struggle to really build the landscape. This can derail even the best stories. Building your plot hinges on living in the above-mentioned tension and allowing your audience to live in it with you. As you develop more and more of the story you must tell everything through the lens of the tension. This will keep your audience guessing and keep them intrigued as to what will happen next.

Quick Tip: If you are looking to develop your ability to build a great plot, spend time watching any tv show written by Shonda Rhimes. She is a masterful storyteller and has mastered the art of leaving her audience in the tension.

Stick the Landing.
You have set the stage, created tension, and built the plot. But your story is not complete until you stick the landing. One error I see many presenters make is that they neglected to think about how to finish their story. They followed the above steps but have found themselves at the end of their story with no way out. Sticking the landing is all about being prepared, knowing how to not only end, but transition out of your story. If you are unable to wrap your story back around and tie it into the overall presentation, then rather than increasing memory and accuracy you have muddied the waters and left your audience wondering why you wasted their time.

Quick Tip: Sticking the landing relies on a final tie in. Look for a way to finish your story by tying in your overall presentation point. Having a clear through line to wrap up your story will not only help you to resolve the story but it will help your audience see why the story was important.

Great stories are a powerful tool for every presenter but they can be difficult to get right. Take the time to prepare. Even if you have told the same story 100 times to your friends, it is different when you are in front of an audience. Rehearse your story and be ready for whatever might come your way.

Looking for more tips and tricks on how to be a great presenter? Check out the Presentation Mentor online course to start taking the mystery out of presentations.

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