How to Create Audience Interest in Your Story

Aug 26, 2017 | Public Speaking Tips, Sell with a Story, Stand OUT! Speaking Tip, Tell a Story, Make Your Point, Write a Meaningful & Memorable Message | 0 comments

Does Your Story Create a Lack of Empathy?

My fiancée Linda and I were watching one of our favorite TV shows. In an exasperated voice, she said “You know, I don’t care what happens to this guy!”

‘This guy’ was an Iraq war veteran suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]. His problem was that he wasn’t likable at all. Not because of the PTSD, but because he didn’t demonstrate one positive trait. The writers of the show didn’t give us insight into his good side, or create empathy.

Just the opposite – he created antipathy.

Linda’s comment inspired two questions:

When you tell a story, are your characters likable?
Are they people your audience will root for?

Far too often, speakers tell stories without developing the personalities of their characters. They don’t give you background, history or insight, so the audience doesn’t feel a connection.

For example, a presenter could introduce her protagnosit, Mary. She’s a woman struggling to make ends

How to Create Audience Interest in Your Story

meet and keep her family together.

This is generic information, about a common situation. And it doesn’t give you insight into Mary’s character.

A Better Way to Reveal The Characters in Your Story

What if, instead, you describe Mary as…

A single, British immigrant. Her face is etched with the stress of caring for two young children by herself. She works by day as a waitress and attends night school to earn her accounting degree.

One evening, she’s sitting at the kitchen table in her tiny, one bedroom apartment. In front of her is a stack of bills and an open checkbook. The anguish on her face gives insight into her difficulty in deciding which of her bills she can pay this month.

What can you learn about Mary from these two brief paragraphs? She’s hard-working, caring, under immense pressure, and responsible. She is struggling to financially survive.

Now, do you have feeling and compassion for her?

Can you relate to her?

Keep in mind, you learned this information about Mary in two, short paragraphs.

The Extremes of Character Description

On occasion, presenters make the mistake of giving long-winded descriptions. As you can see in the previous example, this isn’t necessary. You don’t need to give every detail about someone, just important points.

More often than not, speakers offer almost no insight into their characters. You’re left to guess about what type of people they are.

In a few lines, you can give your audience insight into the key players of your story. You can provide hints into their personalities. You can create the bridge for the listener to connect with those people.

Describe a few key details about your main characters. You’ll pull your audience into your story. And you’ll eliminate the odds of them ever saying “You know, I don’t care what happens to this guy!”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

‘Storytelling Made Easy‘ by Michael Hauge

HARNESS THE POWER OF HOLLYWOOD STORYTELLING MAGIC

Imagine if every time you gave a speech, made a sales presentation, or led a meeting, you could instantly motivate and inspire others to take action.

You can – by telling more powerful success stories.

Read this book and you will:

=> Eliminate the fear, frustration, and overwhelmed feeling that can accompany the thought of writing or telling stories

=> Select the type of story best suited to your product or service

=> Incorporate the six steps of every successful story

=> Easily develop a simple, entertaining, and persuasive writing style that is uniquely your own

=> Master the principles of great storytelling within a variety of arenas: speeches, sales pitches, company meetings, e-mails, videos, podcasts and testimonials

=> Deliver your message clearly, emotionally and powerfully

=> And more

With this groundbreaking new book, you’ll not only attract more clients and customers and multiply your revenue; you’ll move your audiences and readers toward more connected and fulfilling lives.

To pick up your copy, click here.

How to Create Audience Interest in Your Story ultima modifica: 2017-08-26T17:49:04-04:00 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.

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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."

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

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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!”

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“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

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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.

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Natalie Holder
Founder, QUEST Diversity

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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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