Public Speaking: Storytelling Techniques for Electrifying Presentations

by Akash Karia

Whenever you create questions in your audience’s minds, you’ve got them hooked into your speech because you’ve aroused their curiosity.

The hook of any story is the conflict. It’s the conflict in a movie that keeps listeners glued to the screen. It’s the conflict in a book that keeps readers glued to the page. And it’s the conflict in your story that keeps listeners glued to your speech.

In your speeches and presentations, introduce the conflict early on. The conflict captures audience attention because it gets your audience members thinking, “I wonder how this is going to end.”

Thus, when creating your next story, you have two options: You can include a guru in your speech … someone who says something profound and inspiring

Or You can include a Catalyst for Change in your speech…someone who serves as the stimulus for change in the main character

However, whether you choose to use a Guru or a Catalyst for Change as the main hero in your speech, you do need to make someone else the hero of your speech.

If you have multiple sources that could serve as a guru/catalyst for change, simply choose one source that can represent the advice and wisdom you received from all the others.

Now, here’s the secret to humor: A comment is humorous when it sets up an expectation, and then breaks it.

Can you use wordplay to add humor to your speeches?

In any story, there should be a resolution to the conflict.

Most great speeches repeat a catch phrase several times throughout the speech so that audience members will remember the main message of the speech.

In a good story, the protagonist in the story must change as a result of the wisdom of the guru.

While there’s nothing wrong with talking about such emotional topics, it’s important to realize that your speeches don’tnecessarilyhave to make people cry.

The beginning and the end are the most important parts of your speech because audience members remember the first and the last thing they hear.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.”

“There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience.”

Write out the question in less than 20 words. If it takes you more than 20 words to summarize the main question of your speech, then your question is not clear enough.

When you generalize, your words are bound to be heard as clichéd. But if you are specific, as in the boss example, the words are fresh.)

In your speeches and presentations, make sure you tie every point to an anchor to make your point memorable.

Make a Point, Tell a Story: It’s a simple yet proven-to-work speech structure. Use it!

your speeches don’t necessarilyhave to have you - the speaker - as the inspirational character. The other option is to talk about people in your life who inspire you.

If you’re going to give an inspirational speech about someone else, it’s best to give a speech about an inspirational character you know personally.

End your speech with the key takeaway message for the audience.

What is it that you want the audience to do, think or feel because of having listened to your speech? Make sure that this comes across clearly in your conclusion.

“Put the argument into a concrete shape, into an image, some hard phrase, round and solid as a ball, which they can see and handle and carry home with them, and the cause is half won.”