Public Speaking Secrets : How To Tell A Story

A Story Tells It all

Our life is full of stories. In fact, our life is a story. Our story began when we were born. Then, we went through many ‘plots’ in life. We are still going through them right now. The ending might be a bit tragic or maybe it will be a wonderful one. (We will eventually find out. That’s for sure.) Sometimes, we laugh, sometimes we cry and at times we can be out of our minds!

I love stories. I grew up listening to stories told by my late grandmother. She told me many fascinating stories. You can call me a bookworm anytime. Reading story books has always given me great pleasure. 

Fairy tales were my old time favorite. Once I became an adult, I realized fairy tales are just stories to uplift your spirit once in a while. Fairy tales are stories that are not even close to reality. Although I must say, fairy tales makes my heart smile. Who would imagine a cat wears a hat and a boot? A delicious looking gingerbread man runs away from the oven? A frog turns into a handsome prince?  But whether you believe this or not, stories has always been in our hearts. Admit it!

Every time you listen to someone giving a speech, you will be looking forward to hear a story. I am not referring to fairy tales even though in certain speech these types of stories can be used by the speaker. I did tell a story of the Tortoise and The Hare in my speech once. Well, that was way back when I was in school. But for grown-ups, the stories which you are hoping to hear are real life stories.

This is one of the reasons why a speaker who only speaks of facts and numbers will not have great impact on the audience. You need a story to connect your audience to your message. Stories reveal secrets, unleash mysteries and provide answers to your audience. Stories help your audience to relate to your experience, your knowledge and your journey in life. Thus, they will understand the points you are making and makes it easier for you to reach them.

Adding stories to your speech is one of the ways to make your speech unforgettable. Click Here To Read Post Audience will remember your speech through the stories you shared.

So how do you tell a story in your speech?

What Story?

First, you must decide what story you want to tell your audience. Will it be stories about others? Or will it be a story about you? Will it be a happy story? Or will be a sad one? What types of stories?

  Stories from experience? 

        Stories of great lessons in life?

        Stories of real success?

        Stories of failures?

        Stories of love and sacrifices?

        Stories of bravery?

        Stories of hope?

In my humble opinion, adding a personal story to your speech is the best choice. As you know, there should always be a purpose in delivering a speech. Maybe you are informing, entertaining, persuading, or inspiring you audience. You might be giving a speech for other various reasons. The thing to consider is this.

When you deliver a speech, of course you want to make a point. You wish to get the message through to your listeners. Your audience need to be convinced that you believe in what you are saying to them. So when you tell them a story based on your own experience, you are proving to them that you know exactly what you are talking about. Yes sir! 

For example, do you believe a fitness expert who tells you her own story of how she managed to lose weight after she changed her lifestyle? Or do you believe a beautician who tells you a story about her customer who successfully loses some weight after using a product?

Well, you might believe both of them. I mean it is not entirely impossible for the beauty product to work in losing some weight. So what is the difference then? You see, the fitness expert tells a story of her own. She went through the challenges in losing her weight herself and finally made it. On the other hand, the beautician tells a story of her customer. She did not go through the hardship of reducing her weight. The beautician only witnessed or heard about it from her customer. Therefore, the fitness expert’s speech should make greater impact because she experienced it herself.

But what if you don’t have a personal story to tell? Are you sure about that? Before you decide on telling a story about other people’s experience, find out if you have a story of your own. Ask yourself questions like;

‘What have I learned in my life?’

‘What have I gone through?’

‘What mistakes have I done?’

‘What great things I have achieved?’

‘What can I share with others?’

Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong in telling stories which are not from your own experience. I tell stories about other people in my speeches too. As long as the stories are suitable for my audience and related to the message which I am trying to get across. We can actually learn a lot from others. Their stories can be very inspiring, encouraging and motivating. Just choose your stories wisely.

How to Write a Story?

Now, this is a tricky part. For some people, writing a story is a piece of cake. For others, it can be a total nightmare! An Apocalypse! A catastrophe!  Once upon a time ago, I had the same problem. Storytelling was not really my cup of tea. After many practices, I have improved. It is still not a piece of cake. Maybe it is a big round of cake for me. Well, perhaps a huge round of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.

Hey, if I can do it, so can you! You just need to be a little creative in telling stories. You have to make it interesting for the audience to listen to. I am not saying you should make up stories. I am only suggesting that you should tell the story in the most engaging way possible.

Do you like to watch movies? Do you have any idea why some movies are so good that you want to watch it until the end?  Do you know why some movies are so bad that you left the cinema along with your box of popcorn in the middle of the show?

It is all about planning and creating a good story for your speech.

Plan and write your story well.

   The beginning of the story must be captivating. ( The same way we do our speech; the opening).

    There can be some intriguing plots.

  There can also be some conflicts or an unexpected  twist.

  Have some characters, decide on the settings and have some conversations in the story.

    Do not forget the ending of the story. 

   Do not leave the story hanging.

Notes; It is good not to have too many characters in your story. Otherwise, your audience may get confused. Try not to have too much conversation in your story. This is not a story for a stage play. A story for a speech is focusing on the message. A story is just to help your audience understand the message of your speech.

Most stories use in a speech is non-fiction. The stories are more about people’s life. In others words, the stories are realistic stories.

How to Deliver Your Story?

Everybody knows this. To tell a story, one must be enthusiastic and full of energy. The storyteller must add some emotions; feelings of happiness, sadness and excitement while telling a story. The voice must be loud and energetic. There must be dramatic moves that will make the audience jump from their seats!

Dear friends…this is not completely true when it comes to telling a story in a speech. Telling a story in a speech is not like acting on stage. This is not a storytelling competition.

True. The speaker should be excited to tell a story but it can be done calmly and with ease. You can tell your story in various voice tones. It must not be too dramatic. Over acting and too much emotion are not good for a speech delivery. A speaker's purpose in delivering a speech is to convey message. A speaker is sharing information and not doing a performing act.

I have seen this happening a few times. A speaker was telling a story in her speech. During the speech she got too emotional and broke down. Yes, it was a sad story. Unfortunately, too much emotion was too heavy for the audience to bear. Suddenly, the hall was silent. The audience did not know how to respond. Instead of focusing on the message, they felt sorry for the speaker. The message did not get through.

You know what they say,’ less is more’. It looks more natural, doesn’t it? Oh yes, you can add some humour to the story as well and make it entertaining.

Things to Remember

The stories are meant to help the audience to understand the message. A story in a speech must be related to the message of the speech. The story must be a meaningful story. It can be entertaining, inspiring and motivating at the same time.

Make sure that your audience can visualise your story. The story should not be too complicated. When you tell a story, tell it from your heart especially if the story is from your own life experience. Be sincere and honest in sharing your story. Tell them the story of life, hope and dreams.

Do you wish to know more secrets on how to tell a story?

Why don’t you ask yourself?

Your life is full of stories. Trust me. You have all the answers.

Written by : Intan Salwana Anis
@2017 Public Speaking Is Cool. All Rights Reserved.