“They seemed nice, but…their stories were SO BORING!” None of us wants to hear THAT in response to our presentations. We would rather hear, “That was BRILLIANT!” Now, I can’t guarantee that by reading this brief article you will automatically achieve perpetual brilliance on stage and online. However, I’m confident that by drilling down on the two terrific techniques that follow, you will deliver more engaging presentations and tell more powerful stories.
My friend and Hollywood consultant to the stars Michael Hauge says, “The purpose of a story is to elicit EMOTION” and that’s where so many stories…and presentations fall short. Whether we choose to believe it or not, as presenters we are STORYTELLERS. That’s right; even in the most technical presentations, the numbers and statistical data tell stories. Here’s the problem; many of us STORY TELLERS are just that…story TELLERS. We TELL stories and we end up passing on information that we’ve gathered with no emotional connection for the audience, which puts us on the fast track to BORING. Our stories will be transformed when we stop TELLING our audiences about what happened, and start TAKING them right into the scene…and into the story. Here are two simple techniques for doing just that.
INTRODUCE VIVID CHARACTERS
Introduce clearly identifiable characters with whom your audience can connect, identify and empathize. Your audience should be able to ‘see’ each character, and be reminded, even slightly, of specific individuals, or themselves. As you relate your story, BECOME the characters. Describe them so well that the audience can visualize themselves IN the scene. If their clothes, shoes, hair and accessories can help to paint the picture, include them in your description. Then allow your audience to physically see characteristics that make each character unique. Do they walk with a unique gait? Do they always move slowly, with a limp, or do they always move quickly? Do they have a particular quirk or facial expression? Does the character play with their hair, twirl a ring on their finger, talk with their hands or blink a lot?
These are seemingly minor physical characteristics that can make characters come alive in the minds of your audience. TRANSPORT your audience in to your stories by allowing the to clearly SEE the characters. Here’s an example, using a short story scene.
MINIMAL CHARACTER DETAILS: Two women came across each other in a local store. By the looks on their faces they appeared to know
each other, but didn’t seem friendly.
MORE VIVID CHARACTERS: Two women came across each other in a local store. The first appeared to be in her early thirties, but it was hard to tell. Her clothes were plain…almost frumpy…and her shoulders sagged as she seemed to almost drag herself down the aisle. Her eyes were dark and sad as if she was carrying an unbearable burden, and she wore a scowl on her face that said, “Don’t talk to me; don’t even LOOK at me”. The other woman was very thin, in a bright yellow tank top and short shorts that cried out to the eyes of every man in the room. She looked almost 10 years younger, with bright eyes that kept darting back and forth…as if she was trying to find something in a hurry, or she forgot where she had left something important. She kept fidgeting with her purse, which she had slung over her shoulder. The women’s eyes met, and it appeared that they knew each other. But it also seemed that they were not friendly to each other.
REPLACE SOME NARRATION WITH DIALOGUE
As I stated earlier, many speakers tell their stories in a narrative form, telling the audience ABOUT what happened, and describing what took place. By using DIALOGUE instead of NARRATION at appropriate places in your presentation, you give the audience a more meaningful experience. Here’s an example.
USING NARRATION: The two women in the store got into a shouting match. One woman accused the other of stealing an item, and the other accused her of lying to get her in trouble because she never liked her.
We can certainly get the idea from that version. However, the audience experience would be magnified, and the emotional connection would be greater, if dialogue was introduced.
USING NARRATION AND DIALOGUE: The two women in the store got into a shouting match. The first woman yelled, “I remember you, you little thief! I saw you stick that bracelet into your purse! Once a thief, ALWAYS a thief!” The second shot back, “Liar! I know you’ve hated me since we were 15 years old and you told everybody I took your phone! And now you’re just trying to get me in trouble! You witch!”
COMBINING VIVID CHARACTERS, NARRATION AND DIALOGUE
Two women came across each other in a local store. The first appeared to be in her early thirties, but it was hard to tell. Her clothes were plain…almost frumpy…and her shoulders sagged as she seemed to almost drag herself down the aisle. Her eyes were dark and sad as if she was carrying an unbearable burden, and she wore a scowl on her face that said, “Don’t talk to me; don’t even LOOK at me”. The other woman was very thin, in a bright yellow tank top and short shorts that cried out to the eyes of every man in the room. She looked almost 10 years younger, with bright eyes that kept darting back and forth…as if she was trying to find something in a hurry, or she forgot where she had left something important. She kept fidgeting with her purse, which she had slung over her shoulder. The women’s eyes met, and it appeared that they knew each other. But it also seemed that they were not friendly to each other.
Suddenly, the two women in the store got into a shouting match. The first woman yelled, “I remember you, you little thief! I saw you stick that bracelet into your purse just now! Once a thief, ALWAYS a thief!” The thin woman shot back, “Liar! I know you’ve hated me since we were 15 years old when you told everybody I took your phone, which I DIDN’T! And now you’re just trying to get me in trouble! You witch!”
(I’ll suspend the story right there; you can write your own conclusion.)
When used well, vivid characters and dialogue can provide context to a situation, and even prompt the audience to form opinions. Oftentimes, because of the established emotional connection, your audience members will identify with one or more characters in your story, and they will stay connected because they want to know how the story concludes. As you’ve hopefully seen, vivid characters and strategically placed dialogue can enhance your audience’s experience, and make your stories memorable.
I encourage you…no…I CHALLENGE you, to rework an existing story, or start working on a new story, drilling down on the concept of DON’T TELL US; TAKE US! When you do this well, your stories, and your presentations will not be boring, but BRILLIANT!
DREAM BIG; WORK BIGGER!
