Part One: The Art of Storytelling
In today's fast-paced world, creating a presentation that captivates and engages your audience is crucial. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through the art of storytelling. Incorporating storytelling into your business presentation helps to connect with your audience on an emotional level, capture their attention, and leave a lasting impression.
Storytelling has been a powerful communication tool since the beginning of time. When creating a business presentation, incorporating storytelling helps to convey complex ideas in a simplified and relatable manner. It can help to illustrate your points with real-life examples, make your presentation more memorable, and help your audience understand the significance of your message.
Researchers at the London School of Business found that people retain only 5% to 10% of information if it consists of statistics alone. But, when they hear a story, they remember 65% to 70%. – Jeff Bloomfield
Storytelling helps to create an emotional connection between the presenter and the audience. By sharing personal experiences or anecdotes, the presenter can create a sense of empathy and relatability, making the audience more receptive to the message. This connection can also help to build trust between the presenter and the audience, which is crucial in establishing credibility and influence.
Storytelling can also help to differentiate your business presentation from others. In a sea of dry, uninspiring presentations, a well-crafted story can help to set you apart from the competition. A good story can make your presentation more memorable and help your message stick with your audience long after the presentation has ended.
Part Two: The Science of Storytelling
For those who have worked with me or viewed my presentations portfolio here, it is no surprise that I am borderline obsessed with what is now described as the shapes of storytelling. I want to dive deeper into what this is about as I discuss the science of storytelling.
Kurt Vonnegut, an American writer and novelist, famously suggested that all stories have a basic shape that can be graphed. In his thesis, he proposed that stories can be plotted on a simple graph with the vertical axis representing the protagonist's level of happiness and the horizontal axis representing the chronological order of the events in the story.
Vonnegut argued that all stories can be classified into a small number of basic shapes, ranging from a simple, linear narrative to more complex, non-linear narratives. He identified the most common shapes as the "man in a hole," "Cinderella," and "Boy meets girl," among others.
According to Vonnegut, the "man in a hole" shape is the most popular, and it follows a pattern where the protagonist starts in a good position, experiences a crisis or a downfall, and then eventually rises to a better position. The "Cinderella" shape follows a similar pattern but with a focus on the rise from a low position to a high one. The "Boy meets girl" shape is a classic romance story with a focus on the development of a romantic relationship.
Vonnegut's thesis on the shapes of stories highlights the idea that all stories share a common structure, regardless of their genre or content. By understanding these basic shapes, writers can create more engaging and compelling stories that resonate with their audience.
Part Three: Putting It All Together
We know the importance of the art of storytelling and we can now recognize the patterns behind the science of storytelling. Now what? How do we utilize this information to create an impactful business presentation?
Let's use this common scenario: You are a part of a team responsible for the rollout of a new product or service. Maybe your team initially proposed the idea or perhaps it was thrown at you unexpectedly. Either way, this initiative has strong visibility all the way up to the very top of your company and you are now on the hook for presenting a very important update.
For this scenario, we will use the most common shape: "Man in the Hole"
Introduce the protagonist: You can introduce the project as the protagonist of the story. The project starts in a good position with a clear goal and objective.
Crisis or downfall: Explain the challenges and obstacles that the project faced, such as delays, budget constraints, or unexpected roadblocks. This represents the crisis or downfall in the story.
Rising action: Then explain the actions taken to overcome these challenges, such as creative problem-solving, collaboration, and perseverance. This represents the rising action in the story.
Climax: Describe the turning point where the project finally overcame the challenges and achieved success. This represents the climax in the story.
Resolution: Finally, describe the successful outcome of the project, such as the completion of the project within the budget and timeline, and the positive impact it had on the company or its customers. This represents the resolution in the story.
By using the "Man in the hole" shape, you can create a powerful narrative that captures the attention of your audience, and helps to explain the success of the project in a memorable and relatable way. The shape also provides a framework that ensures the story has a clear structure and message, making it easier for the audience to understand and engage with the presentation.
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