A good story has infinite power….
This week I have’nt been able to stop thinking about storytelling.
It’s funny, we tell stories all the time in our day to day lives and often use them to draw attention and make our point, but we rarely appreciate the infinite power of story. A good story told well leaves us in awe of both the tale and the teller, we feel moved, changed and provoked. The magic of a tale which has hooked our emotion and imagination stays with us for a very long time, sometimes for all of our lives.
And yet, when it comes to public speaking, the idea of crafting a good story that connects us deeply to our audience is lost in the noise we create for ourselves about standing in front of other human beings and speaking to them. It feels to me that misguided notions to assert ego driven commentary or data in an attempt to boost perceptions of our intelligence, expertise, and achievement have removed the exact reason many of us would want to speak in the first place. More importantly, we are losing our audience by communicating in this ego driven way.
“Corporate speak makes it hard to connect as a human. Taking the time to get your message and story across in a way that is refreshingly different and not reliant on overused and meaningless jargon shows that you’re prepared to put the work in so your customer can have a better experience.” Sarah Payton, The Business of Stories, 2022
It is always my mission to help my clients be of service to their audience and stay focused on delivering the best version of the message they were given the honour of being able to deliver. It’s tough for some of us who don’t enjoy speaking to see speaking as an honour. I know that public speaking often just feels like hell because I have been there but consider being in a world where the choice to be heard is taken away from you completely. We only need to acknowledge what has gone before us and is still happening around us to appreciate how being given the freedom to speak could be welcomed as a hard-earned gift and therefore, we must accept it gratefully, even if it makes us uncomfortable. Trust me, if you begin to focus on crafting your best story to deliver your message in service of your audience, telling and sharing your story will feel like a gift you hand over and not a burden to be offloaded through pain and grit, as some of us might think.
“When you ditch the jargon and speak to your audience from the heart, standing out gets a whole lot easier”. Sarah Payton, The Business or Stories, 2022
There are fantastic books out there with tips and tools on how to create stories with impact. I am really enjoying Sarah Payton’sbook, The Business of Stories published in 2022 by www.rethinkpress.com I highly recommend it if you want to learn how to craft the perfect story and to change the way you connect and leave an impact both personally and professionally.
If you need help with creating the perfect story to scale up the impact of your next presentation please contact me here me@audriewoodhouse.com
