Chapter 1
Sizzle Your Presentations with Stories
IN THIS CHAPTER
Sharpening your axe
Avoiding PowerPoint autopilot
Beginnings, middles, and endings
Storyopia to create audience heroes
If history were told in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.
–RUDYARD KIPLING (ENGLISH WRITER, POET, AND STORYTELLER)
Good storytelling can make your presentations sizzle in ways that slides can’t.
Whether you realize it or not, you’re already a storyteller. When you meet a friend, have dinner with family, or spend time with a colleague, you share small amusements and calamities of your day or week. It’s in our nature to tell stories and share our life’s events. And you probably use hyperboles (exaggerations) to make your stories more engaging — peppering them with statements such as, “I nearly died of embarrassment” or “My feet were killing me.” While this casual sharing is different from being in front of an audience, you do know how to tell stories. You have lots of them. After all, you started telling stories when you made babbling sounds as a baby.
Storytelling Isn’t Just a Buzzword ...
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