How to Present, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 8The art of storytelling

Stories have been with us since time began. They are a wonderful way for you to convey your message so your audience finds you interesting, engaging and memorable. As my good friend — and personal branding expert — Monica Rosenfeld says, ‘Stories give us the opportunity to break down barriers, stir conversation and inspire positive change.'

A technique for telling memorable stories

The three main storytelling techniques are the ‘hero's journey', the ‘magic formula' story and the Persuasion Blueprint.

I covered the Persuasion Blueprint in great detail in chapter 5 and you may like to go back and read that chapter with a ‘storytelling' filter in your mind.

The hero's journey is the model that movie makers follow in movies from Pretty Woman to Harry Potter. It is a wonderful structure if you've got the time and patience to follow all of the steps.

When it comes to telling captivating and memorable stories in business presentations — live or online — you can't go past the magic formula storytelling technique. This technique was developed by writer Dale Carnegie, who authored the famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

The magic formula for storytelling is a really simple technique to use. You simply cover three main aspects:

1. Incident: Tell the story — this is where you deliver a short, interesting account (the incident) to your audience.
2. Point: Some storytellers tell the story, tell the story and tell the story — and you sit there ...