Public Speaking: Storytelling Techniques for Electrifying Presentations

by Akash Karia

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

The common denominator of all humanity is that we are Human. We are by nature imperfect. It takes no special talent to find an imperfection in another person.

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.”

The best speeches get the audience members to laugh and learn at the same time.

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

In any story, there should be a resolution to the conflict. In this speech, the resolution is that as soon as Lance begins to validate the people around him, his life gets better:

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.

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.

keep your key phrase shorter than seven words to make sure that it’s short enough to be remembered.

repeat your key phrase several times throughout your speech.

make sure you practice in front of a live audience before you deliver your speech.

“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.” Alexander Gregg

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.

In your next speech, remember to take an element out of your speech and apply it to your audience’s lives to get them to reflect on their life.

35 Public Speaking and Storytelling Tips to Make Your Next Speech an Outstanding One Your opening should create questions in your audience’s minds. It should get them curious about your speech/story. Start off with a BOOM! Begin your speech in the middle of the most exciting part of your story. If you’re struggling to find a story, look for stories in your everyday life. Which personal story do you most often share with your friends? What transformative experience have you gone through which has taught you most about life? Realize that your story doesn’t have to make people cry. It can make people laugh or simply think. However, it must cause some kind of emotional shift in your listeners. The conflict is the heart of the story.Introduce the problem/conflict early on in the story. Use the suspended story structure (or a modified version of it) to keep your audience in suspense. Keep ratcheting up the suspense by escalating the intensity of the conflicts. Your story must have a guru or a “catalyst for change”. Don’t be the hero of your own story.

If you have too many “gurus”/“catalysts for change”, choose just one of them to represent them all. Add humor to your story to keep your audience engaged. The secret to humor is to create an expectation and then break it. Customize your humor for your audience. Use self-deprecating humor to lighten the mood. Don’t be afraid to poke fun at yourself. Look for humor opportunities within dialogue. Use anchors to make your points memorable. Every time you make a point, anchor it with an anecdote, acronym, activity or analogy. Use analogies and metaphors to make your speech memorable for your audience. Ensure smooth transitions between different parts of your story. Give your audience dialogue/verbalize what they are thinking to build a stronger connection with them. Use beautiful, vivid descriptions to bring the scenes in your stories to life for your audience. Give enough description of your main characters so that your audience can picture them in their heads. Provide specific details to add credibility to your story. Use a quote to add credibility to your speech. Use tough-watch logic to inspire your audience. Inspire people by talking about people who inspire you. Use vocal variety to spice up your speech. Adjust your pitch and pace to reflect the characters voices and the mood of your story. Use the singular you-focus to have a one-on-one conversation with your audience. Keep linking your message and your story to your listeners using you-focused check-ins Take an element ...