{"id":2749,"date":"2022-12-12T03:48:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T03:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/?p=2749"},"modified":"2022-12-30T04:29:03","modified_gmt":"2022-12-30T04:29:03","slug":"using-stories-to-breathe-life-into-every-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/?p=2749","title":{"rendered":"Using Stories to Breathe Life into Every Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:32px\">15 storytelling tips for weaving the personal with the universal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">By&nbsp;Craig Valentine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past 20 years, I\u2019ve had some amazing opportunities to speak to audiences about the importance of leadership and presentation skills, and I\u2019ve been fortunate to touch lives around the globe. The main tool I\u2019ve used to accomplish this is storytelling. Storytelling helps both leaders and presenters motivate, inspire, and influence their listeners. It also helps them be remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">Here are 15 storytelling techniques I use that can help you breathe life into your speeches and keep your audiences on the edge of their seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full eplus-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1060\" src=\"http:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine.png 1600w, https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine-1200x795.png 1200w, https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine-500x331.png 500w, https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine-768x509.png 768w, https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine-1536x1018.png 1536w, https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/toastmasters-20-craig-valentine-382x253.png 382w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Author Craig Valentine speaks at the 2019 Toastmasters International Convention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube eplus-wrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Craig Valentine: Make Your Message Memorable\" width=\"1019\" height=\"573\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Pdzgakr0ogI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:15px\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>1 <\/strong>Use a \u201cfoundational phrase.\u201d For each story, develop a foundational phrase your audience can easily remember and repeat. It should be simple to say, audience focused, and preferably fewer than 10 words. For example, one of my foundational phrases is, \u201cDon\u2019t get ready, stay ready.\u201d It sticks with my audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>2<\/strong> Don\u2019t start each story from the beginning. You can start from the middle or even the end. For example, I could start like this: \u201cThere I was, standing on stage with the 1st place trophy at the World Championship of Public Speaking. It was surreal! However, it didn\u2019t start out that way. In fact, four years earlier\u2026\u201d You can start at the end and work back to how you got there. Mix it up with each story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>3<\/strong> Get to your stories quicker. There\u2019s way too much set-up (what I call \u201cpre-ramble\u201d) for many stories. Get to the story and then go rapidly into the conflict and hook your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>4<\/strong> Don\u2019t be the guru of your own story. The guru is the person who gives you the advice that helps you overcome your conflict and changes your life for the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote eplus-wrapper is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>The longer you work on a story, the shorter it should get. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">I share a story of how I wanted to leave the company I worked for in order to live my dream of being a professional speaker. The vice president kept offering to raise my salary so I would stay. When I asked my wife what I should do, she said, \u201cI don\u2019t care how much they try to compensate you. Your dream is not for sale.\u201d I left and spoke more than 160 times in one year. My wife is the guru of that story. Having a guru helps you remain similar, rather than special, to your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>5<\/strong> Pause and look. Realize it\u2019s the look you give before, during, and after the line that really tells the story. The story lives in the spaces between the lines. Don\u2019t rush into your next line. Many of my laughs come from the looks rather than the lines. Therefore, the structure of your speech must allow enough space for you to take your time. Remember, you can\u2019t rush and resonate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>6<\/strong> Don\u2019t just establish a conflict, escalate it. Think of it like the Titanic. Hitting the iceberg established the conflict but then what happened? The water started rising on the Titanic. That escalation of the conflict led to a desperate need for a solution. You should show how your conflict escalates too. For example, I share a story about wanting to write a book on the art of public speaking. My friends said it would never work because it would be too hard to find a publisher. The more negativity they gave me, the more the conflict escalated. Finally, my friend Steve called and said, \u201cCraig, if you write that book, I\u2019ll be the first one in line to purchase it.\u201d After a deep sigh of relief, I said, \u201cSteve, that\u2019ll be 15.95.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>7<\/strong> Invite your audience into your scene. For example, I say, \u201cImagine being in my passenger\u2019s seat as I went through the drive-through.\u201d My audience members are now in my passenger\u2019s seat where they can relive the story with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>8<\/strong> Condense to connect. When you deliver a scene with characters having dialogue, don\u2019t tell us everything, just tell us the main thing. Try not to go back and forth between characters more than a few times, because your audience will grow tired. Instead, put the important statements in those few lines of dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group eplus-wrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>9<\/strong> Come out of your story and talk to your audience. Remember, you\u2019re not doing a stage play. You\u2019re having a conversation with your audience. When you get into a story, you don\u2019t have to lose that conversation. For example, I may say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">You should have been with my wife and me 15 years ago when we took our six-month-old daughter, Tori, to the doctor. Raise your hand if you have kids. Great, then you know the doctor is going to measure her length and\u2026? They yell out, Her weight!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">On a side note, I often hear someone answer, \u201cHer height!\u201d At that point I say, \u201cYou do know that the length, when you turn her upright, becomes the height, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">Even though I already started my story, I still looked out into the audience and asked them about their kids. I call this a \u201cyou-focused check-in.\u201d It keeps the audience on their toes because, instead of being passive spectators, they become active participants.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>10<\/strong> Make your audience curious from the beginning. What questions can you plant in their minds that they\u2019ll want answered during the story? I start one story with, \u201cThe best leadership principle I ever learned was from the president of the United States in the early 1990s when I shared a golf cart with him.\u201d My audience likely has one of the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-list eplus-styles-uid-5501ac\">\n<li class=\" eplus-wrapper\">Which president?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\" eplus-wrapper\">How did you get to be in a golf cart with him?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\" eplus-wrapper\">What is the lesson he taught?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\" eplus-wrapper\">Because of the curiosity, my audience anticipates coming on the journey with me. Tease them before you tell them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>11 <\/strong>Don\u2019t keep repeating your message. When your story is over and you\u2019ve given your foundational phrase (that short phrase that is easy to remember and repeat), don\u2019t ramble on about the point. The story actually makes the point, and the foundational phrase makes the point memorable. If you keep talking and trying to drive the point home, your audience will want the ride to end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>12<\/strong> Create characters. When delivering the lines of your characters, use their posture, positioning, and maybe a slight change in your voice to make that person come alive and be different from the other characters. You might have a character that is stern, has a very stiff posture, and crosses his arms and frowns when he talks. Become that character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\">\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\">Remember, you\u2019re not doing a stage play. You\u2019re having a conversation with your audience.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>13 <\/strong>Show the emotional change in your character. After you overcome or transcend your conflict, make sure your audience recognizes the transformation. If there\u2019s no change there\u2019s no story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>14<\/strong> Be subtle with most of what you do delivery-wise. For example, you don\u2019t need to speak with a child\u2019s voice when delivering the lines of a child. Instead, speak with your voice (with maybe a slightly higher pitch) but deliver it with the child\u2019s expression. You can also have him or her look up to show that the child is talking to an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"coblocks-animate eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\" data-coblocks-animation=\"fadeIn\"><strong>15<\/strong> With a few exceptions, keep your stories short. The longer you work on a story, the shorter it should get. It\u2019s addition by subtraction. The story gets better not by what you put in but by what you remove. I try to keep mine under four minutes so I can leave my audience wanting more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"eplus-wrapper wp-block-heading\">Using these 15 storytelling tips will help you touch lives around the globe and become the speaker others sign up and line up to see.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>15 storytelling tips for weaving the personal with the unive &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"Helvetica","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[63,72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-december-2022","category-ri-express-december-2022"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2749"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2879,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2749\/revisions\/2879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dg-newsletter2223.rid3450.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}