Storytelling
Story telling has constantly been a major facet of human culture, whether you have been in Africa, Asia, Australia, Historical Britain, Or the Good Ole USA. Certainly, there had been differences in style and focus, but whenever you look, previous times teaches us the significance of story telling in human history. Today, we get our stories from an assortment of sources, from books and online, to television and movies, or a good, old-fashioned, talk among friends. The truth of Story Telling is as popular as it ever has been, that individuals prefer to swap tales, and doing so is the basis of excellent Public Relations or PR skills.
Public Relations
When we picture PR, we have a tendency to picture the work place; in offices and all the men in their suits, or perhaps you picture meeting clients. Either way, this might greatly contribute towards the foundation of telling your story. Why not, instead, picture excellent PR as conveying stories. Like the oral historians of old, without a doubt, it is a decent habit to imagine excellent PR as being like informing a narrative.
Great PR must a hook for it to hold – an angle or a twist to generate intrigue to make it stand out – Even so, given a really good narrative, their skills can in fact stand out. Perhaps the Product your promoting has made a modern break-through, or probably there is a human-interest tale behind the development of your product? These things you must utilize and devise a way to tell the Tale (Story); in a way that is intriguing and take care to not alienate your audience.
Now here are the 7 greatest tips on Storytelling.
7 Wonderful Tips
All great communicators are great storytellers. Listeners are more open to receiving when they hear the message delivered in a Story format – they can lower their walls and defenses because the message is coming to them in a safe and indirect way. Wherever you want to make an impact, tell a story! Watch As I will repeat this again. Twice!
1. Keep it simple. The brain gets overwhelmed when trying to process too much information.
2. Openings and closings are very important. Most Successful Comics and Public Speakers organize their shows, they make sure to begin and end the evenings with their strongest material since this is often what stays with the listener. That is the same reason skilled public speakers often memorize the beginning and ending of a speech but allow themselves to improvise more in the middle.
3. Be mindful of your story’s spine. If your story has 7 parts, all 7 parts must be essential. Beware of tangents: if something goes too far astray, you will probably lose your audience’s attention.
4. Make sure not to alienate your audience. When speaking about delicate subjects or things that have the potential to offend, carefully plan your approach. My Pastor from church tells a story about a pedophile priest in his hometown, but he has crafted the story in a way that draws listeners in before he reveals the sensitive details. “When I was 13, something happened in my hometown that you don’t mention,” he begins. Later he draws the audience in further by adding, “You all know you had one in your hometown, too.”
5. Tell the truth. According to oral historians of old, if you are not telling the truth, listeners will know. Even stand-up comics — who are permitted exaggeration — perform best when their material stems from the truth. Failure to make comfortable eye contact (usually by looking away or looking too long) or providing too much information is two common tip-offs that someone is not telling the truth. These might come in handy for calling someone’s bluff at the poker table. But in business, things can be a little subtler. “A certain amount of lying is ingrained in the business world,” I mean “We’ve all heard ‘everything is fine’ right before the company’s demise.” In those instances, it’s a good idea to look for an excess of jargon. Remember, good stories can be told in simple language.
6. Tell stories about the cute things: Perhaps your children and animals have done something really cute recently. These anecdotes will brighten up your listeners’ day and warm their hearts!
7. Tell stories when extra emphasis is needed. Your listeners will remember the story long after they remember anything else that you may have shared.
All great communicators are great storytellers. Listeners are more open to receiving when they hear the message delivered in a story format – they can lower their walls and defenses because the message is coming to them in a safe and indirect way. Wherever you want to make an impact, tell a story!
Scott Lawrence
To hear my story check out Scott A Lawrence. Please check out my Empowered Network blog.
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