How can you use storytelling and analogies to improve your training sessions?

The gift of story telling is that it includes the learner in the process of learning. We are teaching "with them" not "at them"... and let's face it, from the time we are small children, we all love a good story.

Everyone needs to know that what I am teaching is based on real-world experiences. And that these experiences lead to greater success. To conclude the introduction of a concept, I will give an example of why it is important from a real-life story I heard from a client. Often I repeat that story in a short-hand format later in the presentation to remind them of the broad applicability of learning point I want them to remember. And I wrap up at the end with repeated themes as take-aways to incorporate right away to their daily business life. I have been thanked by my client and by the attendees for showing them new items and reiterating them in new contexts they had never considered.

I'd also like to add that one must make the story or analogy brief, no more than two minutes. Additionally, it's good to have an engaging opener, hook, or grabber that appeals to your audience, and be sure and use emotion and visual language. That's why and how stories can work. Thanks- Theresa

By providing a perspective that places your learner into the scenario, they experience the information provided and can then begin to rationalize through a situation rather than simply taking data, comparing that to their previous experiences and using that as a litmus test. This is highly effective with adult learners who may need to perform in dynamic situations where judgement calls mean the difference between success and failure.

I will give my own real experience and also invite participants to share their experience, story and examples, this will make our training more interactive and will trigger participants emotions that will enhance their memory and motivation.

Giving examples and sharing stories adds a personal experience and authenticity to any point you are trying to get across. Relevance to the audience is most important.

In some sessions I found that participants who were of high IQ with a strong left brain orientation had difficulty in getting started. One thing I have found helpful is to provide a set of unrelated images and get them to pick up one which resonates most with their personality as a trigger point. After that it becomes very easy for them to not only weave their stories around that picture, but also start connecting with images of other participants and convert it to solid relatable stories that help identify the Problems, Actions as well as Results at the workplace which they then start implementing

Often I use the "template" of: 1. Tell them what you are going to tell them 2. Tell them 3. Tell them what you told them as a summary It creates 3 basic touchpoints (foundation, immersion, and reinforcement).

Things which ut most know how to use terminology effectively Without observation and analysis you can't use PAR effects Your personal stories can help the others to understand the situation and emotions

Always important to know your audience and connect the story to them. The story that is being shared must resonate with the audience. The story must prompt action at the end.

The more complicated a process you're trying to teach, the more you need to ensure your audience understands each step in the process, and the more you need to relate the process to your audience. This is where a story comes in. Using an example from finance, to explain a mortgage backed security, you'd start with something that nearly everyone can relate to : a family buying a home. From there, you explain the story of that loan, who owns the rights to collect the interest payments, and in what form those rights are securitized and traded. Also, if possible, it helps to "cast" a learner as a participant in the story. Instead of "the Smith family's" mortgage, explain the process as if one of your students is the obligor of the mortgage.

It has always been helpful to me to focus on stories that have a funny twist or a least a personal moral as the point. Showing enthusiasm and passion is not a bad thing in many instances.

Regardless of your religious affiliations, a great place to see storytelling in its most effective form is in religious ceremonies. They can sway your opinion, change your actions, and even change your life with a well placed story. Watch the cadence and pace of their stories. It is extremely informative of effective storytelling, and often public speaking as a whole.

Delivering stories is important, but making time to listen to your audience is also - I’m always keen to understand how others apply new things and many of the stories I use have been examples I have received during training sessions (with their permission of course).

Making reference to a particular story multiple times will help solidify the point of the story across time and reinforce its importance. Remember that it takes several "touches" before your message gets across.

In my experience, sticking with a theme always helps. There has to be a cohesive logical reason to tell the story. This will help engage the target and keep them interested. There are truly a multitude of ways to link stories to learning objectives. For example, if there is a practical exercise, you can relate the story to the scenario given in a practical exercise. In my opinion, it is extremely important to let the audience figure out why the story is important because if you tell them it loses the punch. There has to be proper planning to use a story to further one’s presentation objectives.

More than anything else you have to keep up your skills in the same way you get to Carnegie Hall... practice, practice, practice ??

It is important to be intentional in your practice. As uncomfortable as it may be, record yourself telling a story. Pay attention to tone, rate, inflection, and body language. Seek feedback from others on what you do well and be sure to get feedback on what would make it better. Once you have identified your opportunity areas of improvement, focus your energy on getting better at that skill. Continue to seek feedback and video yourself to monitor progress.

As other have said, practice is key. My other suggestion would be using stories that are your own or at least of your own invention. It is hard to capture the same feeling in someone’s story when one retells it. It’s easier to have more “pizazz” and feeling when it is your own.

Storytelling is a part of human behavior and a critical form of communication used to develop, mentor, and influence others. Storytelling helps the audience connect and internalize the information, which builds trust and credibility.

Absolutely, and I notice that the kinds of stories people choose to tell about themselves reveal much more about their vulnerabilities, personality and identities than the content itself.

A principle of useful storytelling is ‘a movie is only as good as its worst character is bad’. Make sure you illustrate what the opposite of your good idea/main point would look like - otherwise your presentation will be forgettable and your point lost.