When You Speak, What's Your Opening Statement?
Here’s my opening statement.?
“You will not remember,
????much of what I say!
???????That’s why I will tell you stories.”
When I speak or write, I want to do more than have you hear or read my message.?
I want you to …
????remember …
??????????my main point or principle.
Audiences have little interest in facts or details; they just want to know what …
??????if anything …?
??????????is worth remembering.
?They want to know the main point or principle.
As we are all fully aware, most of what is said and written is not worth remembering, so the audience is usually not expecting or prepared …
????to remember very much …
?????????if anything.
I direct my message of Creative Followership to audiences ranging from young adults to middle-aged folks.?I want to capture their attention and be sure I get my information into their minds and …
????see that it stays there.?
To do that, I package my main points in simple true stories, always from my own experience.?
Think about it, what has every living adult experienced??
Young, middle-aged or seniors, we all recall those wonderful days of our youth.
That is why I like to tell stories of when I was young.
??Everyone in the audience has been there.
??????Every one of you who read this article has been young.
?The result is you can …
领英推荐
????relive my stories with me and …
?????????make them your stories!
To convey my message to the audience and make the points register in their memory, my objective is for each person in the audience to picture himself/herself as the main character in my story.?
If I can get that image in their mind, they definitely will remember the main points of the message for …
????a long … time.?
That works because people do?not remember what I say …
???they remember …
??????what they … think about …
????????????while I’m talking.?
They will remember because it’s no longer me telling my story … it is them virtually living their story.?
??????My story becomes their story!
When you read or hear my story, don’t you think of a similar situation from your life??Of course, you do.?The details won’t be the same.?The setting will be different, but the outcome will be just as impactful.?
You will not only be hearing or reading …
?????you will be living a virtual experience.
My goal is to take …
???the entire audience with me.
?????????It works for me!??
Why don’t you try it?
???Pass Your Story On….
????????As Their Story!
--- Jimmy Collins
Like ideas for your stories? My latest book?Jimmy’s Stories?is available on Amazon.
Career advancement principles are in my book,?Creative Followership ?also available on Amazon.??
Helping Leaders Engage the Frontline to Improve the Bottom Line.? │ Author of 15 Books │ Leadership Speaker │ Cultural Transformation
1 年Great stuff Jimmy Collins! I actually wrote a related newsletter titled “The Power of Storytelling” a few days ago. It’s scheduled to release next week. Keep sharing your golden nuggets with us!