A Presentation is a Story

Do you get nervous when you think about giving a presentation?  Most of us do.  Do you get nervous when telling a story to a friend?  Most of us think this isn’t so difficult. I’d like you to know that giving a presentation should be as easy as telling a story.

When you tell a story, you typically have the following elements:  an introduction (or “hook”), background information, a sequence of events, a climax, and a resolution or conclusion.

Here’s how you might tell a story:

Get their attention: Guess what happened to me yesterday? or I have a funny story to tell you.

Give some background information: Last weekend, I went on a business trip to Vancouver.

Explain the sequence of events: Before my trip, I…. Then I…. When I got to the meeting….

Reveal the most important point or climax of the story: I was greeted by the CEO and immediately realized that he was my old college roommate!

Explain the conclusion or next steps: I invited him to visit me in California.

Your story might be funny, surprising or sad, but in any case, you’ll probably follow this pattern.  Now, think about a presentation that you have given.  Did you tell a story, or did you simply read a bunch of unemotional information? People remember stories.  If you give a presentation in a story form, your audience will be more interested in what you have to say, and more importantly, they’ll remember your presentation long after you’ve finished.

Here is an example of how you can use the elements of a good story when giving a presentation:

Get their attention: What if I told you that you could complete your work in half the time it takes you now?

As you plan for your next presentation, think about the story you are going to tell, and imagine that you are telling this story to a friend.