3 Storytelling Secrets to Breathe Life Into Your Speeches
Craig Valentine
International Top-Ranked Keynote Speaker, World Class Speaking Coach, Amazon.com #1 Bestselling Author, World Champion of Public Speaking, Founder of the Speak and Prosper Academy
Over the past 24 years I’ve had an amazing opportunity to speak to audiences and touch lives around the globe. The main tool I’ve used to accomplish this is storytelling.?
Here are 3 quick storytelling secrets you can use to breathe life into your speeches and keep your audiences on the edge of their seats.?
Secret 1: 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, “You’re always too something to someone.” It sticks with my audience.?
Good speakers speak to be remembered. Great speakers speak to be repeated.
Secret 2: Invite your audience into your scene. For example, I say, “Imagine being in my passenger’s seat as I went through the drive-thru.” My audience members are now in my passenger’s seat where they can relive (experience) the story with me.?
Secret 3: Tease them before you tell them. What question(s) can you plant in your audience members' minds that they’ll want answered during your story? Before transitioning into one of my stories, I ask, "What do you think is the number 1 thing that stands between most people living their dream?" I take a few responses and then transport them into my story.
Because of the curiosity, my audience anticipates coming on the journey with me to get the answer.
Your Turn
What are some of your favorite storytelling strategies you use to touch the lives of your audience members?
Helping Business Leaders Recruit & Retain Top Talent | Employee Engagement Expert | HR Strategist | Co-founder of Employee Engagement Academy | Chartered MCIPD, PMP, MBA (IIM Calcutta)
1 年Good thoughts Craig Valentine. Simple and effective, Thank you for sharing.
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1 年Craig Valentine As professionals, setbacks are inevitable. But have you ever heard the phrase "A setback is a Setup for a Comeback"? It's become my foundational phrase, reminding me that every setback is an opportunity to come back stronger than ever. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, we can use setbacks as a chance to learn, grow, and ultimately succeed. So next time you're faced with a setback, remember - it's just the setup for your next big comeback. #motivation #nevergiveup
Veteran | Trainer | Problem Solver | Team Builder | People Empowerment | Cross-Functional Management | Middle Management Playbook (Training)
1 年Though people are physically present in the audience, they are not always emotionally present. When I recognized this revelation, I began to share short videos (mostly YouTube) that would capture their attention to pull in their emotional self to answer simple questions on how it related to my theme.