You have an important message that you want to share with the world, but are unsure how to go about it, how to tell your story, so you stare at the computer screen and that damn blinking cursor. What to say, and how best to say it? Well, we’ve all been there.
Or you begin writing while envisioning yourself in front of an audience, masterfully telling a story and just type whatever comes into your mind. Maybe you start with a detailed outline that includes topics and subtopics to capture each and every subtle nuance of your subject.
But there’s a better way to go about crafting your story. A way to ensure you’ll have a clear objective in mind from the beginning, identifying potential elements that make up your story, and deliver it impactfully, so that listeners will understand the essence of your message. The approach that I use is to consider story creation in three phases.
Ideation
Think of your story as a journey that you are taking your audience on. This phase is about defining the story’s ultimate destination. It could be a new perspective or idea that you want an audience to understand and to think about long after your talk has finished and you’ve exited the building. A message with staying power.
The audience should see the world differently after hearing our talk.
They may not agree with you, but that’s not really the point. A story with impact is less about persuasion and more about offering them new ways to look at the situation. And those shifts in perspective will be different for each person who hears your talk.
For that shift to happen, your story’s destination must be crystal clear, which is easier said than done. It’s one of the hardest parts of crafting a story with impact. It requires a lot of investigation, and is often a piece that speakers gloss over. When done right it puts a stake in the ground that every story element must aim toward. If your storyline begins to take a detour, you’ll catch it early on and get your narrative back on track.
Ask yourself, “What is the gift I’m giving the audience with my story?”
What is your audience thinking about your topic when they walk into the room, and what will they be thinking when you’re done. (It’s not about you, it’s all about them)
Narration
The narration phase will use this focused message to identify story elements that lend themselves to creating your talk. As journeys constitute a specific path along a line of points, or intermediate destinations, an interesting story consists of mini stories that take the listener from one key point to the next, and do so in a logical fashion.
The technique that I use is to think of a story in “story blocks”, each of which is a small story that is stitched together like scenes in a movie, or like chapters in a book to form the narrative.
Approaching a story in this way has the advantage of breaking a narrative into smaller pieces so you can focus on one part at a time. Rather than worrying about how a story will sound in its entirety, first concentrate on making sure each section sounds right.
These story blocks often come from one of eight story types: a personal story, a second hand story that is about someone else, a story based on science, a story that relies on a statistical view, a story that comes from history, a story which can address an opposite viewpoint, it can be a call to action, or a story that describes how the future will look.
Note: Transitions serve as narrative glue. The audience should never feel a disconnect, or a jump within the storyline. Issues in this area typically come to light while you are rehearsing your talk. Which brings us to the third phase of telling a great story.
Presentation
As you begin rehearsing your story you’ll need to think about more than the words you will be saying. Vocal variation, facial expressions, and body movements play key roles in the process of conveying the meaning of your narrative.
Whenever people ask me the secret to delivering a memorable talk I often reply that it requires two things: Preparation and Practice. Nothing can substitute for the hours a speaker needs to spend crafting their narrative (Remember, your words matter most!) but the best collection of words will fail to inspire if your delivery is uninspired.
Not unlike playing a sport or an instrument, the long journey to becoming an effective speaker requires time and effort beforehand - time spent rehearsing. You can practice alone in a room, or better yet, in front of a small group of friends and/or family.
If you’re digitally inclined, record your talk using a smartphone or tablet, and consider using your webcam to capture your delivery on video. This is an opportunity to see and hear yourself, and it can be a transformational experience.
Pay attention to every sentence. Is the meaning clear? And I mean every sentence, not just most of them. Consider the sentence length too. Writing and reading are different than speaking and listening, and the audience only has one chance to understand what you are saying. For most speakers that means slowing down their pace a bit, as well as articulating more than usual.
As you notice rough spots, revise the story for clarity and impact. And as you become more comfortable with your narrative, shift the focus to vocal variation. Is your voice mirroring the emotion of the words on the paper. Then start using your hands, arms, and body to fully represent the energy and feeling that is inherent within your story.
The more you practice the more comfortable you will become, and the more of the real you will come out; the energy, the passion, the reason you’re speaking to people in the first place. The more an audience connects with you, the more they will understand.
Summary
The reality is that each step in the process (Ideation, Narration, Presentation) requires a far greater explanation to describe properly, many pages in fact, and even then, every speaker (and their story) is unique, and that means the methodology will vary from one person to the next. Thankfully, like any complex skill, the fact is, you can master it!
I hope that you enjoyed this post. If so, please share your wisdom and insights below. And don’t forget to subscribe. You can also find me on LinkedIn and Twitter, or even drop me a line with any thoughts or questions you may have about storytelling.