Tell us a story! How parables give your speech more life and character [Speak on the Shoulders of Giants]
Everyone loves a good story.
The world’s greatest speakers are also talented storytellers.
Being able to explain ideas and scenarios really well is the essence of great public speaking.
You can practice your storytelling skills by following this week’s public speaking tip.
The POWER PARABLE.
— This is just one of the powerful secrets featured in James C. Humes’ book, “Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln.”
During a speech or presentation, people are not only interested in your message, but also the story behind it.
Some of history’s greatest speakers are also excellent storytellers.
They use stories as a build-up towards an important part of their speech or presentation.
They can also use it to reinforce key points and ideas.
The Power Parable helps you achieve those things too.
You can tell powerful and emotional stories that deliver your message and capture the audience’s attention.
Here are some effective ways to use the Power Parable:
Turn concepts into concrete ideas
Speeches and presentations introduce a wealth of ideas to an audience. But these ideas don’t resonate well when they’re not explained properly.
Keep in mind that an abstract idea cannot be fully understood unless it’s made concrete.
An example of a scenario helps paint a picture in the audience’s mind, enabling them to understand and remember the idea.
Painting a better picture through your words gives your speech a strong foundation.
Have an arsenal of anecdotes
Great speakers have a selection of anecdotes they can use to capture an audience’s attention.
Anecdotes are often short stories about real people or real situations that are funny and interesting.
Remember that your speech should resonate well across different types of audiences so knowing when it’s the right time to use one is important.
For example, a serious or emotional story might work better for an older audience (teenagers and up). If you’re delivering the same speech or presentation to a younger audience (kids), you might want to use last week’s Power Wit and deliver a more lighthearted tone!
Share your own stories
When applicable, stories about deep personal experiences help connect people.
Look back on your own past experiences. You might remember a treasure trove of stories that you can share with different groups of people.
These can be used for speeches and presentations that are more on the serious side.
Use a case study and narrate what happened
You can use other real-life case studies to help explain an idea. These can be success stories from famous people, a great marketing campaign, or how a business has failed and then revived itself.
Popular and common examples help an audience understand because it’s something they’re familiar with.
You can find examples of case studies on various sources like news sites, blogs, and editorials.
Enhance your speech or presentation by using a Power Parable.
A good relatable story will help you deliver a stronger message.
Do you have a story to tell? Share it with your audience!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person
…a boardroom with five people
…or a huge venue with hundreds of people
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Wednesday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com
