Uneak White's Personal Brand Exploration Presentation
Make your presentations stick (3)
1. Make Your Presentation Stick (3)
The Art of Story Telling!
Tell stories in a way that are
persuasive, memorable, &
inspiring
Reach the hearts & minds of
the audience though well
crafted story telling
“The shortest distance
between two people is a
story.” Terence Gargiulo
2. Once Upon A Time…….
Story telling has been around since the
beginning of time
It’s a natural communication method
that we first experience as infants.
Parents build their emotional bonds
through story telling.
Social & education systems embed
moral & ethical messages through
carefully crafted story telling &
characters, e.g:Little Red Riding Hood,
Don Quixote, Jane Eyre, Sherlock
Holmes, Robin Hood, etc
In the 21st Century of digital media
dominance, individuals are switching to
digital media to convey their stories, e.g;
You Tube (the leading short-subject
digital story teller)
3. Stories at Work, Stories that Work!
Stories work for leaders as an effective communication
& engagement technique for 3 key reasons:
1. Stories convey emotion effectively and emotion
merged with a strong idea is persuasive. We
remember what we feel, so our emotions inspire
us to take action.
2. Stories are concrete & transport us to a place in
time where we can see the events recalled in our
mind’s eye. This makes stories powerful memory
aids.
3. Stories represent a pull strategy, unlike the
push strategy we use when we argue a point.
Stories engage listeners, pulling them towards
agreement & persuasion, rather than imposing
opinion, ie; pushing them to resist
4. The Corporate Perspective Of Story Telling
Stories are part & parcel of successful
business cultures, e.g: 3M thrives on
its reputation as an innovative
company & the well known story of
how Post It Notes came about, serves
as an eternal eulogy
Successful business leaders use
storytelling as their hallmark, e.g;
Warren Buffet
Successful commentators engage with
their audiences through their
anecdotal stories
5. 3 Strategies for Powerful Story Telling
Special
Succinct
Successful
6. 1. Special: Anchor It
Start your story by putting it in a
time & place zone:
E.g.
‘ Last summer, in Alexandria…’
‘Just after Prince William & Kate’s
wedding….’
‘1 year after I left university &
travelled to the US…..’
‘Do you remember the London
Olympics? Well, it was then ….’
7. Alliteration
Use alliterative phrases, to keep
audience attention & aid
retention
e.g.:
Success Stories
Eager Editors
Larger than Life
Powerful Presentations
Magnificent Metaphors
8. Personalise
Make your story about them, not
you, help the audience to see
themselves in the story
Adapt your story details so it
resonates with the audience’s
experiences & values
Choose vivid & relatable examples
Relive it as you tell it – put passion in
your voice as your story unfolds;
make it seem spontaneous to catch
the audience curiosity
9. 2. Succinct: Trim the Fat
Don’t get caught up in too
much detail, the audience will
switch off
Keep it short, corporate life is
about fast things first
Portion control the contents,
don’t overload listeners, break
your story contents into
‘manageable chunks’ & skillfully
feed it in.
10. The Power of 3
Arrange the details in triplets. Our
brains process information more
efficiently in groups of 3.
e.g.
• Television: BBC, ITV, MBC, CNN
• Business: CEO, CFO; MBO; GDP,
GNP, WWW
• Science: Liquid, Solid or Gas
Animal Vegetable or Mineral
• Government & Law: IRS, FBI, CID,
Dial 999 or 911,
11. 3. Successful Stories
Link your story to a concrete
outcome or result
Create a ‘feel good’ factor
Make sure the underpinning
message is full of optimism &
hope
Keep it authentic, your audience
will love you for it
End on a positive note on every
occasion, your audience will
remember you for it
12. Summary
Why: • To build & maintain rapport
• To create authenticity & uniqueness
• To communicate a meaningful &
persuasive message
• A 3 step approach: Special, Succinct &
Use: Successful
How: • Anchor it; Alliterate; Personalise it;
Trim the Fat; Triplets; Say Successful
Stories
13. Hope you found this slideshow
informative
Email: helenat@britishtutors.org