How do you choose stories for public speaking?

2 Know your audience

The next step is to understand who you are speaking to. Who are they? What are their interests, needs, challenges, and values? What do they already know or believe about your topic? How do they prefer to learn or communicate? Knowing your audience will help you choose stories that resonate with them, appeal to their emotions, and address their objections or questions. You can also use stories to connect with your audience on a personal level, by sharing something about yourself or relating to their experiences.

3 Find your sources

Once you have a goal and an audience in mind, you can start looking for stories that match them. There are many sources of stories, such as your own life, your work, your industry, your clients, your research, your hobbies, your books, your podcasts, your movies, and so on. The key is to find stories that are relevant, credible, and interesting. You can also use anecdotes, metaphors, analogies, examples, case studies, statistics, quotes, or jokes as stories, as long as they illustrate your point and engage your audience.

4 Select your structure

After you have found some potential stories, you need to decide how to structure them for your public speaking. There are different ways to organize and present stories, such as the classic three-act structure (setup, conflict, resolution), the hero's journey (call to adventure, trials, transformation), the STAR method (situation, task, action, result), or the SPAR method (situation, problem, action, result). The best structure for your story depends on your goal, your audience, and your message. You can also use different types of stories, such as linear, circular, nested, or parallel, to create variety and interest.

5 Craft your delivery

The final step is to polish and practice your story delivery. You want to make sure that your story is clear, concise, and compelling. You can use techniques such as vivid language, sensory details, dialogue, humor, suspense, emotion, gestures, voice, and pauses to enhance your story and make it memorable. You also want to practice your story out loud, preferably in front of a mirror, a camera, or a friend, to get feedback and improve your confidence. You can also record yourself and listen to your story to check for clarity, pace, tone, and impact.

Stories are one of the most effective ways to communicate and persuade with public speaking. By following these tips, you can choose stories that fit your purpose, audience, and message, and deliver them with skill and style.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?