Seven Essential Tips for Mastering the Art of Storytelling

There's no shortage of books, blogs, articles, and trainings specifically shaped around storytelling.

And like most things in like and career, you know it when you see it.

Anyone can become a better storyteller. And with discipline, effort, coaching, and time, anyone can become an amazing storyteller.

You can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills - public speaking. --Warren Buffett

Honing skills. Engaging and captivating audiences. Inspiring and motivating others. A great story is an incredible tool. A powerful way to connect. In sales, in leadership, and in life.

Here are seven effective ways to develop your oral storytelling abilities:

1. Master the Basics of Story Structure - ensuring each story has a clear beginning, middle and end.
2. Develop Strong Delivery Skills - your voice, props, visual support, pacing and timing - all if it goes into making your story pop.
3. Engage with Your Audience - most people only think about eye contact and body language, but engaging with your audience is so much more.
4. Practice Active Listening - this includes watching for cues to speed up or slow down, and adjusting accordingly. Asking questions of the audience and having their participation is vital too.
5. Craft Vivid Descriptions - really practice how to make your story come alive - often with incredible strong visual language and vocabulary clues to paint the picture of what you want the audience to think, feel, or experience.
6. Practice Regularly - figure out timing, if you get laughs where you want or expect them, and if you get feedback for improvement.
7. Learn from Great Storytellers - study the masters. And then take an improv class or a workshop designed to improve your ability to tell a good tale.

As with most skills in life, time and effort drastically impact the outcomes. A lot of opportunities to practice your storytelling abilities become the difference between wanting to be good...and actually becoming great.

Remember, you've got this!

Jen E Miller & Associates is a full-service consulting firm, offering more than 25 powerful and impactful offerings.

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