Storytelling is a powerful tool that great leaders use to inspire and motivate the audience. Storytelling draws your audience into your speech by emotionally connecting your shared experiences. Here are some storytelling tips that can help you strengthen your story and engage your audience.
1. Choose a clear central message
A great story usually progresses towards a message. When crafting a story, you should have a definite idea of what you’re building toward- a moral, funny or engaging story.
2. Embrace conflict
As a storyteller, you can’t shy away from conflict. Great storytellers craft stories that have all sorts of problems. In order to be satisfied with a happy ending, audiences have to watch the main characters struggle to achieve their goals.
3. Have a clear structure
There are many different ways to structure a story. A successful story will start with an inciting incident, lead into rising action, build to a climax and ultimately settle into a satisfying resolution.
4. Mine your personal experiences
Whether or not you are telling a real story directly based on personal experience, you can always look to your life for inspiration when coming up with new stories.
5. Engage your audience
Great storytelling requires you to connect with your audience. Audience love to hear interesting stories
6. Observe good storytellers
Your personal stories will always be unique and specific to you. Learn by watching storytellers you admire. Look for good storytellers and learn through observation. How do they craft a successful story?
7. Narrow the scope of your story
If you’re telling a true story from your own life, it can be hard to choose the important main points that you should include. Many people have a tendency to include every detail and end up diluting the central story. Choose a clear beginning and end to your story, and keep it a simple descriptive story that captures the audiences imagination.
If the audience is interested in your stories, they will listen and remember what you had shared; and as a result leave your audience inspired.