How Good are you at Telling Stories?

The problem with an uninteresting presentation generally isn’t the content – it is the delivery. Any content can be made to be exciting, dynamic, and memorable. Rather than presenting facts and figures in a standard presentation format, think about how you turn your subject matter into an experience that relates to the audience.

Tell a story

Storytelling has the potential to help make a presentation come alive and therefore more memorable. Rather than PowerPoint slides, write out your presentation in essay format, then use just a few slides to emphasize key points. Become the narrator and take your audience on a journey with you.

A picture paints a thousand words

Sometimes a slide containing nothing more than a picture is all you need to convey your point. Strong images help to grab the audience’s attention. Video clips are also great tools to make points come alive, provoke a reaction, or change the mood.

Share a joke

Humour is a great tool to help you to grab people’s attention. Adding a few laughs to your presentation can break the ice, change the atmosphere and create a lasting memory. Even more so if the joke also helps to illustrate your key point.

Stimulate interaction

Encourage your audience to get involved. They are far more likely to remember what you’ve been talking about if they can also describe it or interact with it. Ask your audience a question (and not just at the Q and A at the end). Maybe encourage the audience to consider a point in groups and to share their views with the room.

Keep it simple

Avoid jargon and cut out complex facts and theories. Convey the key points in a simple manner. Present only what the audience really needs to know.