One Storytelling Mistake to Avoid That Distracts Your Audience and Hurts Your Impact

Stuck in a Distracting Thought

Lisa was telling a captivating story to our coaching group. And it had my full attention. She’d lost a large amount of weight, over 80 pounds.

One part of her story involved being on a weight-loss TV show. One of the hosts was John Cena.

She shared this part of her story and then moved on to the next vignette. We stopped her.

“Lisa, imagine you’re in the audience and you heard that reference to John Cena, and don’t know who he is.”

What would you do?

She thought for a moment and said, “I guess I’d start wondering, who did she say? John who?

“I’d be distracted. I probably wouldn’t hear the next thing the speaker said.”

Exactly!

Lisa had committed one of the most common storytelling mistakes I see. She made the assumption everyone in her audience was familiar with her references.

She was suffering from…

The Curse of Knowledge

I first read about this concept in the book, ‘Made to Stick’ by Dan and Chip Heath.

It refers to the mindset of being so familiar with your topic you forget what it’s like NOT to know it. And this creates a disconnect with your audience.

When you make a reference your audience isn’t familiar with, they immediately stop listening to you. Instead, these kinds of thoughts run their heads:

John who?

Seener?

Seeger?

Or, they’ll think…

John Cena…. John Cena.

Isn’t he an entertainer?

Football player?

Wrestling?’

Or, ‘Isn’t he that actor guy?’

Whatever they’re thinking, you’re in trouble. The people distracted by this reference are not listening to you. You’ve moved on but they’re ‘lost in thought’ and not hearing you.

You know what this means for the rest of your speech, right?

It’s as if you were driving down the highway with them, but suddenly took a side road that’s not on any map or GPS, then pushed them out of the car to fend for themselves, and got back on the highway by yourself.

A missed opportunity to make a lasting impression

How do you solve this problem?

It’s actually easy.

In the John Cena example above, Lisa could have set up the reference like this:

“One of the stars of the show was former wrestler turned actor John Cena. He’d overcome his own weight challenges and wants to help others do the same.”

That’s it! Two brief sentences to give context to her reference.

Fortunately, Lisa is coachable and willing to change to improve her message. She now uses a similar short description to introduce John Cena. The audience has context, stays focused, and is ready to hear what she says next.

Do you want to keep your audience’s attention?

Avoid the Curse of Knowledge.

Review your speeches and stories and ask others for their input. What’s confusing? Which references are you unfamiliar with?

With this feedback, you’ll have a message that creates curiosity, stirs their imagination, and keeps their interest from start to finish.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Pick Up Keys to Business Success

Would you like to save the time, frustration, and energy other people have expended to succeed in their businesses?

If so, join me for my weekly Livestream program, 3 Questions to Better Business. Every Friday, I interview successful entrepreneurs and business owners from various fields.

Past interviewees included a 2012 Olympian and a New York Times bestselling author who worked closely in the Improv world with people like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. This year promises to bring many more outstanding individuals who will provide their unique perspective on business success.

To drop in on our interviews, join me on Facebook Live, Linked In Live, or YouTube Live every Friday at 4:00 pm (Eastern) / 1:00 pm (Pacific). No need to sign-up, just show up and enjoy the presentation. You’re also welcome to join us for questions by logging in to the show at LiveWithSpeakingCPR.com.