Make an impact on 100 people in just 3 minutes?
The power of storytelling to inspire positive change.
I was counting down the days to my public speaking. How do I make my speech even more magical?
Back in my mind, I worried that my lack of preparation would make me look like a fool. I procrastinated until the final weekend but struggled to make the story on real-time optimization come to life.
One morning, I woke up with an epiphany — an evening of Hope! I was inspired by Vincent Ong’s father’s lung cancer journey! What if I tell a hopeful story that ties real-time optimization together? Can I also raise lung cancer awareness?
Why impactful storytelling is essential to me? With many leaders I admire, I noticed they can tell stories that strike a chord with the room. It’s powerful and magical.
I did a lot of research to understand what it takes to succeed at the executive level as I began my journey this year. I decided to go all in! I picked effective communication thanks to Dr. Grace Lee, John Maxwell, and my coach.
I aim to share my ingredients with you so you can become an effective communicator. Leaders should tell stories like they have an authentic connection to what they talk about. Most of them rely on talking points drafted by their staff and become robotic and scripted. Here are the key ingredients to capture an audience:
Show vulnerability upfront with a personal story. [0:02]
Add some suspense and bring the audience along with the ride. [0:41]
Don't use jargon; explain rather than assume. [1:00]
Upbeat summary and inspire the audience to try! [2:43]
Here’s my growth. I have learned how to be more succulent in storytelling. I used to overuse too many metaphors, which made it hard for the audience to connect.
Here are a few more tips:
Read the room and adapt! Within the first 10 seconds, I noticed that my premise might bring the room down. I decided to tease them that it was a good ending.
Deep breathing along the way and pause. I noticed I was struggling to say “personalized genomics,” instead, I skipped that word and explained to the audience what it is — personalized medicines with DNA and RNA samples of cancer cells.
“If you can harness imagination and the principles of a well-told story, then you get people rising to their feet amid thunderous applause instead of yawning and ignoring you.”
by Bronwyn Fryer
Does it resonate? I seriously didn’t expect the audience to clap hands. It’s an obvious sign it resonated. That’s how I know that my mom would be proud.
Suggested article: Storytelling That Moves People by Harvard Business Review
See you next week.
Elliot
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