Create Deeper Interest With This Key Story Element

Sep 27, 2020 | Advanced Public Speaking Skills, Business Presentations, Inspiration Speeches, Make Your Point, Marketing, Negotiation and Persuasion, Persuasion, Public Speaking Tips, Sell with a Story, Speaking Tip, Storytelling, Tell a Story, Make your Point | 0 comments

Why Most Stories Don’t Connect

An important aspect of stories is the goal of the main character. What does this individual want to achieve?

Too often, speakers present this ‘finish line’ in vague terms:

Create Deeper Interest With This Key Story Element

– A financial advisor tells the story of a couple who want to “Retire comfortably.”

– A health and wellness coach talks about a client who strives to “Live a healthier life.”

– A speaker talks about how she wants to “Bring more education opportunities to underprivileged and minority students.”

Are these worthy goals?

On the surface, yes, but, here’s the problem…

They’re too vague and fuzzy.

The Power of Specificity

What does it mean to retire comfortably? Or live a healthy life? Or bring more opportunities to underprivileged and minority students?

You don’t know. Every person listening runs those phrases through their own filters. And they each have a unique interpretation because there’s no context. The idea that the speaker is trying to sell gets lost. The listener doesn’t feel emotionally tied to vague concepts.

For instance, consider the financial advisor from above. Prospective clients aren’t inspired by the term retire comfortably because:

1) The phrase is overused and,

2) There’s no context or clarity about what it means.

What’s the Solution?

To solve this ‘vagueness problem’ give details about the character’s objectives. From the examples above:

– The financial advisor: “Jeff and Marie told me, ‘We want to stop working when we’re each 62. We want to travel to the East Coast three times a year to spend time with our kids and grandkids. We also need $8,500 each month to allow us to travel and give to our favorite charities.’ “

– The health and wellness: “My client Jim told me, “I need to be up at 6:00 AM every morning with energy to get me through the day. I want to lose 30 pounds in the next 6 months and keep it off. I also want to start an exercise program – work out five times a week in the morning to get my day started off the right way.”

– The speaker: “I want to change the education system. Over the next 5 years, let’s increase test scores by 33% for our grade school kids. This will enable half of them to qualify for our college prep high schools.”

Do you see how specificity paints a clearer picture?

What is an Emotional Trigger?

These details trigger emotional connection in the listener. What does this mean?

What happened in your mind when you read the examples with specific details?

When I do this exercise in workshops, attendees tell me they think about their own situations. They’re reminded of their specific retirement goals. Or their health objectives. Or their own charitable objectives.

This response is counter-intuitive to what you might expect. I’m sometimes asked, “If I tell someone my specific goals, won’t they lose interest? That’s not THEIR goa.l”

I understand this knee-jerk reaction. But as you’ve experienced, the opposite is true. Hearing someone else’s details causes you to think about the specifics of your own.

How Can This Help Your Business?

Stories can help you cut through the ‘marketing noise’ and stand out from your competition. But, only if they create an emotional bond with the listener. Your story will connect with and influence others to take action if you describe your character(s) specific goal. This is the relatable finish line that your audience also wants to achieve. It will tap into the listener’s emotions. And it will lay a foundation of trust that is necessary for them to do business with you.

Triple Your Storytelling Skills in One Year (or Less)

Discover the keys to crafting stories that connect at a deep level, and put you in a position to attract three times as many qualified clients and make more money. You can get these results because you engage your audience and hold their attention from start-to-finish. 52 Storytelling Tips enable you to build this vital business communication skill by building one element one step at a time. To get these complimentary, no-obligation tips delivered to your email box each week, visit: https://speakingcpr.com/52-storytelling-tips.

Create Deeper Interest With This Key Story Element ultima modifica: 2020-09-27T19:58:01-04:00 da Michael Davis

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"Michael transformed our everyday managers into conference presenters by coaching them and by challenging the traditional methods they were using to present. The outcome was phenomenal.

Our conference was elevated to a new level of professionalism. Michael will be retained to help make our trainers become better communicators, both visually and verbally and to assist us with next year’s conference. We highly recommend him and Speaking CPR to assist with your next event."

Robert Gerbus, President, Trans Ash, Inc.

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2018-05-10T09:44:06-04:00

Robert Gerbus, President, Trans Ash, Inc.

"Michael transformed our everyday managers into conference presenters by coaching them and by challenging the traditional methods they were using to present. The outcome was phenomenal. Our conference was elevated to a new level of professionalism. Michael will be retained to help make our trainers become better communicators, both visually and verbally and to assist us with next year’s conference. We highly recommend him and Speaking CPR to assist with your next event."

https://speakingcpr.com/testimonials/robert-gerbus/

“As a former Green Beret and professional storyteller, I give dozens of speeches every year. I am very selective about who trains me.

Michael Davis exceeded every expectation and was one of the best coaches I ever worked with. His quiet professionalism, and unsurpassed knowledge of storytelling helped make my Ted X Cincinnati talk extremely powerful.
I would recommend Michael, as a story and speaking coach to anyone with a high stakes talk to give. Michael will help you take your speech from good to great!”

LTC (Ret.) Scott Mann, Green Beret, Storyteller, Trainer, Coach, Author

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2018-05-10T09:45:38-04:00

LTC (Ret.) Scott Mann, Green Beret, Storyteller, Trainer, Coach, Author

“As a former Green Beret and professional storyteller, I give dozens of speeches every year. I am very selective about who trains me. Michael Davis exceeded every expectation and was one of the best coaches I ever worked with. His quiet professionalism, and unsurpassed knowledge of storytelling helped make my Ted X Cincinnati talk extremely powerful. I would recommend Michael, as a story and speaking coach to anyone with a high stakes talk to give. Michael will help you take your speech from good to great!”

https://speakingcpr.com/testimonials/ltc-ret-scott-mann/

“We are privileged to have Michael Davis of Speaking CPR as one of the Speaker Coaches for our TED x Cincinnati event. I had the opportunity to be on several of the calls with Michael as he worked his craft with his speakers. I was impressed with how genuine, exuberant, and in touch he was with each speaker.

He truly has a gift in connecting with the heart of each person he works with and helping them to unleash their story into their talk. All of the speakers raved about his work with them. Each of them has had broad experience in speaking, but they all felt that working with Michael raised the bar on their ability to speak. You can listen to all of his speakers, Anthony Munoz, Richard Bernstein and Graeme Joffe, at http://www.tedxcincinnati.com/talks/.”

Allison Wonders Gars
Speaker Coach Manager, TED x Cincinnati

Speaking CPR

2018-03-20T17:08:04-04:00

Allison Wonders Gars
Speaker Coach Manager, TED x Cincinnati

“We are privileged to have Michael Davis of Speaking CPR as one of the Speaker Coaches for our TED x Cincinnati event. I had the opportunity to be on several of the calls with Michael as he worked his craft with his speakers. I was impressed with how genuine, exuberant, and in touch he was with each speaker. He truly has a gift in connecting with the heart of each person he works with and helping them to unleash their story into their talk. All of the speakers raved about his work with them. Each of them has had broad experience in speaking, but they all felt that working with Michael raised the bar on their ability to speak. You can listen to all of his speakers, Anthony Munoz, Richard Bernstein and Graeme Joffe, at http://www.tedxcincinnati.com/talks/.”

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“Investing in Michael is one of the best investments I have ever made. I speak on the subject of diversity in the workplace, which can at times be a difficult topic to discuss.

Michael taught me a repeatable process that allows me to create a foundational concept, a logical structure, an opening that grabs the audience’s attention, and a conclusion that encourages my audience to take action that will save them time and money.

I found Michael easy to work with, flexible with his schedule, and a wealth of information about the art of speaking. If you need to improve your presentation or speech, I highly recommend you consider hiring Michael. It is one of the best investments you can make in your own growth.”

Natalie Holder
Founder, QUEST Diversity

Speaking CPR

2018-03-20T17:33:18-04:00

Natalie Holder
Founder, QUEST Diversity

“Investing in Michael is one of the best investments I have ever made. I speak on the subject of diversity in the workplace, which can at times be a difficult topic to discuss. Michael taught me a repeatable process that allows me to create a foundational concept, a logical structure, an opening that grabs the audience’s attention, and a conclusion that encourages my audience to take action that will save them time and money. I found Michael easy to work with, flexible with his schedule, and a wealth of information about the art of speaking. If you need to improve your presentation or speech, I highly recommend you consider hiring Michael. It is one of the best investments you can make in your own growth.”

https://speakingcpr.com/testimonials/natalie-holder/

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