How is it that some people just seem to know how to inspire others with their stories?

I was struck recently by a comment made by an executive at one of our public speaking courses.  We were discussing how stories help to tap into an audience’s emotions and a woman (we’ll call her Mary) said,

“While I love hearing stories, if you gave me a blank piece of paper and a half an hour to write one down – you’d could come back and find my sheet still blank afterwards. I don’t think I have any stories that are remotely interesting”.

Mary believed, as many people do, that there was nothing special about her stories and assumed (even if she could recall a few) people wouldn’t want to hear them.

She felt overwhelmed before she could even get started.

If you’ve ever felt speaker’s block when it comes to story telling; here’s a thought that may help to release the inner story teller in you and inspire others while you’re at it:

Start by picking one theme, not many

Before I explain this, let’s begin with a premise.

In the same way that it’s easier to do one thing at a time than to multi-task, an audience is much more likely to be inspired if you only ask them to remember one main idea instead of many.

What’s this got to do with story telling and sourcing ideas?

Here’s the thing. Having a central theme makes your job (and your audience’s job) much easier. Instead of having to come up with stories that tick many boxes – ie. a multi-tasking story – you only need focus on ideas that complement and support one notion.

Once you’ve settled on the theme you want to share with an audience, ask yourself:

• What have I done or seen that might back up the points I want to make?
• What I have seen or learned from others in similar vein?
• What images come to mind when I think about my experiences or perceptions of these things?

Bear in mind that we all have experiences every day that evoke different emotions – these can include anything from happy to sad, from energetic to lethargic or even stoic to excited. The trick is to think about things you have experienced that can capture the emotions you want to share.

Get in touch with your senses

Try thinking about your experiences or recollections in a sensory way – what you saw, what you heard, how you felt and so on. Chances are if these thoughts are meaningful and memorable for you, they can do the same thing for an audience – who you want to feel and see things as you do or did.

And don’t imagine that your stories have to be elaborate, wild or larger than life. Most stories aren’t.

Remember, personal stories are easier to recall and tell. Plus, they tend to make you seem more human and credible.

Find ways to have your stories complement points you want to make

One more thing, make sure any story you use complements your central arguments.

The rule is that stories mustn’t compete with or become the message.

There’s nothing worse than everyone remembering a story and missing the point you want etched into the audiences’ brains.

Over to you

Do you find it easy to come up with apocryphal stories?

How do you jog your memory for inspirational tales?