Story telling is the basis of all good communication and we all love a great story. Great stories stay with us, move us emotionally and can even change our ideas and beliefs. You probably remember a number of stories you were told as a child. We will dissect what made them memorable in this post and see if you can take the same principles and apply them to your communications goals today.

Oral and written stories can relay complex subjects with simplicity and yet exert great influence; they can make the unknown familiar and bring divided people to common understanding.

Humanity is one of the key elements to effective storytelling. Connecting is an emotive business. For people to relate to a story they need some way to feel it. Humanity means it is about people or how it impacts people. When the federal budget is presented through the media, they tell the story of how the changes will impact the average family or a single mom or dad or small-business owner. They connect the dots for us through stories. The people who take the time to read the entire budget are few and far between.

A surprise factor is another technique in storytelling to make us recall what we heard. An unexpected twist or turn shocks us out of our complacency and makes us take notice. Keeping it punchy and short helps too. The long-winded tale, unless filled with titillating information, usually puts us into slumber land. Unnecessary details clog up even the best story. The fact someone was wearing a red dress might be memorable to you if you are telling the story but unless it sheds some further light or has relevance to the narrative, ditch it. When in doubt, take it out.

Create visuals in the mind of the listener or reader. Show, don’t tell is mantra to writers. Instead of “telling” us that Sue is a kind, caring person, “show” us by highlighting something kind and caring she’s done. When she is not taking in rescue animals or tending to her ailing grandmother, Sue, a single mother with three young kids, finds creative ways to raise money for our mutual cause, the SPCA. Her latest idea is …

Passion for your subject is also better demonstrated than stated. Rather than proclaim you are passionate, show it with enthusiasm and by your actions. A story comes to life when you animate, even if it is only in the tone of your voice. A whisper can be as powerful as a booming voice as much as a pause can command total attention. We’ll talk about tone in the next post, Signing With Feeling.

I have over a dozen images firmly lodged in my memory banks from stories shared by a group of spokespeople I worked with for a few months. Through a variety of circumstances, this group of 16 each ended up in a wheelchair. I was coaching them on how to tell their stories as they were ambassadors for a non-profit organization. While I gave them some tools and helped them overcome nervousness, I really did not need to guide them to deliver on the humanity, unexpectedness, or passion. I can recall all of their stories today. The man who fell out of a tree while on a family picnic and how they surrounded him in tears waiting for help and he could not move; the middle-aged woman who was learning to ride a motorcycle with a friend, fell on her first ride and ended up losing her friend over a lawsuit; the working man who did not put a safety lever on his machinery and in a split second became a paraplegic who wanted to die; the man who as a child fell while playing at the side of a river with his pals.

While their stories were dramatic due to the outcomes, the real magic came in the humanity of how it impacted their lives and the lives of those around them and the changes they made to not merely cope but to enjoy life again.

Any stories worth telling are worth of some degree of preparation. And, preparation frees you to be spontaneous. In later posts, I will sprinkle in preparation tips and techniques. In the meantime, share your story or story techniques. Please, work on the brevity element for the sake of this blog. Thanks.

My favourite “imagery” quote about preparation is from Abe Lincoln:

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

Bravo, Abe.