PART 3 - HOW TO BE A GREAT STORYTELLER

How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience - Part 3
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011

Part III: The Delivery

While research and content are key, so is delivery. If you really want to engage your audience in an experience they’ll remember - which means they’ll remember your story - here are eight tips to follow:

1. Don’t read what’s on the slide. If you’re pitching from a slide presentation, don’t read words off a slide. Instead, know the pitch cold (without having to look except for a brief cue) and speak in your own words.

2. Don’t block the audience’s view. Don’t step in front of the screen or block it from view, except for the occasional walk-across. Gesture with your hand, but don’t touch the screen. Don’t use a pointer unless you must.

3. Engage the audience by asking questions. If they don’t respond, try offering an answer and asking for a show of hands or ask easier questions. Make the audience part of the experience.

4. Be accessible. Don’t stand behind a podium. Use a wireless mic if needed. Get close to the audience and move from place to place while maintaining eye contact, but only from time to time. Do not bounce around like a ping-pong ball.

5. Pause for effect and emphasis. Practice being comfortable with silence for two or three seconds. It’s the most dramatic way to make a point. Avoid ahs, uhs, and other fillers of uncomfortable silence; they’re annoying and detract from your presence.

6. Make eye contact. But only for a few seconds per person. Too short and you’ll fail to engage; too long and it becomes uncomfortable. Don’t bounce your eyes around constantly.

7. Use hand gestures. They’re engaging and interesting. But when you’re not, keep your hands at your sides. Don’t fidget, hold onto things, or put your hands in front of you, behind you, or in your pockets. Avoid nervous habits.

8. Don’t overuse props. Frankly, the most important thing for engaging an audience and telling a memorable story is you, the story-teller. So don’t do too much to distract the audience from you. I know it’s a little scary at first, but you’ll improve with practice and experience.

Part IV: The Close (wait for the last blogon this topic)

MY THOUGHTS

deliver it from the heart. that's all i can say. preparation is key. but presenting what you have prepared from the heart have been known to touch and impact even an unfriendly audience.