How can you leverage storytelling to feel more confident in public speaking?

Storytelling is a powerful tool to boost confidence in public speaking. You are the expert of yourself, so tell stories of yourself. No one can claim they know you better than you know yourself. Practice telling stories that you know well and are passionate about. This familiarity makes you feel at ease. Stories create a personal connection with your audience, making the experience more interactive and less intimidating. When you bring them on your hero’s journey, they see themselves in it. This creates empathy. A good story captivates the audience, which in turn can boost your confidence as you see them engaged. Using stories makes your message memorable, which can be reassuring and affirming for you as a speaker.

Make your contact personable and relatable. Don't just show up and throw up (facts and figures) make the content relatable to the audience, to their business, situation, industry etc.

Consider incorporating humor or personal anecdotes to lighten the mood and connect with your audience on a deeper level. People naturally gravitate towards stories that evoke emotions, so don't be afraid to show your passion for the topic! This will not only make your speech more engaging but also boost your confidence as you deliver a message you truly believe in.

Your audience needs to feel your story. If they do not, you will not reach them. This is where delivery also plays a big part. You need to have good voice control and speaking experience.

Everyone loves a story so include one. I love to start my talk with a story, weave parts of it in my talk when appropriate and then close with referring back to the story. That sequence has helped keep people engaged. Tip: Once you write out the story you want to tell, cut it down! You'd be surprised by how much you can tell without telling every single detail. But do share the details that make everyone visualize and be part of your story. Details that stir up our senses or a common memory are great for this. Most of all, enjoy sharing the story. Who doesn't love a good story?

Opening your talk with a story is an excellent way to engage the audience's attention immediately. Chose your story by considering: 1. Who is my audience? What story will they relate to and will best convey that I understand their pain-points? 2. Do I have a story that personalizes a less-interesting part of my talk? Tie your story to data, theory, research, or background you'll be presenting later. 3. What about this story tells the audience I have something new to say? A new perspective, idea, or solution that they'll want to hear?

All great advice. Audiences relate with stories. Everyone does. It’s a way for us to feel closer to one another. To learn for each other from different perspectives, experiences, backgrounds and ethnicities. Sharing a story in your speech or presentation allows listeners to vest themselves in your story and it’s outcome.

Have key points and talk to those points, don't ramble. Keep on topic and be concise, the longer you talk, the less they will hear. Don't read your presentation to the audience. They have eyes. Nothing is worse than the presenter reading the slides to the audience, you invariably end up facing the screen and talk to and face the front of the room. The audience ends up seeing just the back of your head. Practice before hand. Use key words on slides and expand on those. Know your subject. Maintain eye contact with your audience, but move around the room. Practice beforehand. Be confident in the content and the technology. The internet will drop out, the video link will fail to play. Be prepared.

For an even more impactful experience, consider crafting a mental image of yourself delivering a successful presentation. Imagine yourself speaking confidently, engaging the audience, and receiving positive feedback. By incorporating visualization into your practice routine, you can prime your mind for a confident and captivating performance on the big day. Visualize not only your success but also your ability to handle any unexpected questions or challenges that may arise. This mental preparation will boost your confidence and equip you to navigate any situation with poise.

Remember to bring in all the senses in your re-telling of your visualization. If the audience was there, what would they see? What could they touch and what would it feel like? What would they hear? What might they smell?

To practice visualization effectively, find a quiet space, relax your body, and set your intention. Create a detailed image in your mind, engaging all your senses. Connect with the emotions associated with your visualization. Practice regularly, ideally daily, to see results.

Visualization is a powerful technique for improving confidence in public speaking by mentally rehearsing and preparing for your presentations.Before you begin visualizing, clearly define your objectives for the presentation. What do you want to achieve? Whether it's to inspire, inform, persuade, or entertain your audience, having a clear goal in mind will help guide your visualization process.Imagine yourself delivering your presentation from start to finish. Visualize yourself standing confidently on stage, engaging with your audience, and delivering your message with clarity and conviction. Pay attention to your body language, tone of voice, and gestures, visualizing yourself exuding confidence and enthusiasm.

Ask for feedback if the room is small enough that you can hear peoples responses. Don't ask for feedback if you then cannot hear and have to say "speak up", "what was that". It will disrupt the talk. Don't ask for feedback if you don't know for certain you will get someone to engage. Stoney silence can be very unnerving for you and for the audience. Ask questions that require a show of hands.

People forget data. They remember stories. Make it easy for your audience to share the story with a friend afterwards. If people can tell others what you shared with them, you have done it right.

Engage your audience with methods such as - Asking rhetorical questions - Share shocking statistics - Leverage using personal story - Use engagement tools that allows audience to contribute

Know Your Audience: Understand who your audience is, what they're interested in, and what resonates with them. Tailor your stories to match their demographics, interests, and values to ensure maximum relevance and impact.Begin your presentation with a compelling story or anecdote that grabs your audience's attention right from the start. A powerful opening sets the tone for your entire presentation and piques curiosity, making your audience more receptive to your message. Use storytelling to evoke emotions and connect with your audience on a deeper level. Share personal anecdotes, experiences, or examples that resonate with their own experiences and feelings. W

Ask a rhetorical question, throw an object that is catchable into the audience, have a stooge disrupt your talk. Just as we spice our food, a speech can be peppered with little devices that keep people alert and absorbed. You want your audience to hang on every word and great speakers use these devices to ensure the audience feels part of the world you are creating for them. More than anything audiences love good stories and when they are told in a way that touches all their senses - touch, smell, taste and sound - they see themselves in that story. I once asked audience members to describe what they thought a setting I was talking about looked and felt like. It was dynamite.

Reflection is key to honing your speaking skills. Take a moment post-presentation to gauge audience reactions. Did they lean in, nod, or laugh at the right times? Embrace constructive criticism —it's invaluable for refining your narrative and connecting deeper next time. Your audience holds the keys to your growth. I always provide a short survey to ensure timely feedback. Here are my favorite questions to include in speaking surveys: 1. If I spoke again on the same topic, what else would you want to know about? 2. How do you plan to use what you learned? 3. What’s something you now know that you didn’t know before my talk? 4. Was there anything you were hoping to hear that you did not? Good Luck!

Always, always seek honest feedback and always respond to it in future presentations. The value of doing this has meant that my feedback is now unerringly positive. So I have to dig deeper and ask what could I have done better to make an even greater impact? People then know you want to hear something and will tell you. But you can see and feel people's reactions as you speak and you can take pauses, introduce some humour and ask an audience member a light-hearted question. I am experienced enough now to be be able to react very quickly to puzzled faces, scepticism or implied contradiction. Do that and you pick things up very quickly. Pay attention to the audience and they will pay attention to them.

I once had to give a shortened version of a talk I was often invited to present. I made the mistake of not introducing the main character in the true-life story adequately in my shortened version. He had an African name in a language unfamiliar to my English-speaking audience. I realized my mistake when I said his name and multiple people turned their heads suddenly to face me, clearly confused by what they'd heard. Ever since then, I look for these small but telling reactions to what I'm saying and course correct as needed on the fly. Feedback is invaluable!

Reflecting on feedback is a valuable part of the learning process, especially when it comes to public speaking and storytelling. Seek Constructive Feedback: Actively seek feedback from trusted sources such as mentors, peers, or audience members. Ask for specific feedback on your storytelling techniques, delivery style, and overall presentation effectiveness. Constructive feedback provides valuable insights into areas where you can improve and helps you identify strengths to build upon. Approach feedback with an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow. Resist the urge to become defensive or dismissive, even if the feedback is not what you were hoping to hear. R

Public speaking is a lot like learning to play an instrument: it takes practice, feedback, and a willingness to try new things. See public speaking as a learning journey, not a destination. Listen to people who are great storytellers – not just on stage, but in everyday life. Pay attention to what makes their stories engaging: do they use vivid details? Do they connect with their audience on an emotional level? Do they have a clear beginning, middle, and end? Once you start noticing what makes a good story, you can start applying those techniques to your own presentations. Experiment! Try telling different kinds of stories, from personal anecdotes to historical events. See what works best for you and your audience.

To get better at public speaking, you need to do more public speaking. But use the feedback to determine if you are doing it well or not. Strangers feedback is important. Constructive and critical otherwise you wont develop your speaking skillset. You don't have to like something to be good at it, but if you don't work at it, you wont be good at it, even if you like doing it.

Micro-Stories: some of my stories are 2 to 3 paragraphs long. Over time, you will build a box of "Lego blocks" of stories you can use to stitch something together and deliver quickly.

Authentic Expression: Storytelling allows you to express yourself naturally, which feels more comfortable than delivering memorized lines. Authenticity in your delivery increases your confidence.

Who we are ? Cultural, knowledge, our research why? we exist on earth, our purpose, what we are looking for, how far we are going, experience , history, sharing ,communication. When we know all the answers, than we deliver,

If you are delivering a roadshow or a product update series for example, travelling and presenting to lots of different people or groups. You need to remind yourself that the people in the room today have not heard what you are saying even though you have done this presentation 10,20 or 30 times. You might be bored of it and that will come through in your delivery. Its always new to the audience. Keep upbeat and maintain high energy. Smile while talking, it will come through in the delivery.

Usar exemplos pessoais ajuda muito. Quando você ilustra algum tópico dividindo suas experiências, os outros absorvem e se relacionam melhor com tal conteúdo. Isso facilita a conex?o. E deixa o orador mais tranquilo e confiante, também, na hora de continuar.