How Telling Good Stories Can Improve Your Communication, Marketing, and Presentations
It’s no exaggeration to say that stories are a big part of what makes us human. Storytelling is a tactic that’s been used historically to pass down morals, ethics and even laws. It’s used in politics to win votes or gain support for resistance movements. And it’s used in marketing to get people to buy into whatever you’re selling.
A good story combines emotion and action. It resonates. It has the audience nodding along, buying into the scene you’re setting, feeling understood, or imagining themselves right there alongside you. It creates coherence between the information you’re sharing and the larger message you’re trying to communicate.
When you get this buy-in, emotions get involved. And that’s when things tend to stick. It becomes easier to inspire action, be memorable, and ultimately make an impact on your audience.
But none of this happens if you aren’t telling your stories effectively. There’s an art to choosing the right stories to share, framing the information appropriately, directing your audience’s attention, and crafting a story that people actually remember.
Here are five things to think about when you’re infusing storytelling into your communications.
Step 1: Select the right kind of stories.
There are lots of things that happen that don’t make for useful stories, and there are isolated moments in time - or even abstract concepts - that do. And any given event can either come alive in the hands of a skilled storyteller, or fall apart and feel pointless when delivered by someone who doesn’t really know how to roll it out.
The point of storytelling is usually to convey a specific idea and to get the audience to attach themselves emotionally to that idea, so that they’re more open to whatever you want them to think about, understand or do next.
So before deciding how to tell a story, start by asking yourself why you're telling it at all.
What does this story help your audience understand?
What do you want them to feel?
What does it have to do with the larger point you're trying to make?
A useful story should earn its place in your presentation, because you never want your audience to be left thinking, “Okay...but why did you tell me that?”
P.S. Your story doesn’t always need to be a dramatic, life-changing event. Sometimes a small interaction, single moment, observation or quick example is enough to make an abstract idea suddenly feel real.
Step 2: Frame your story appropriately.
Think about framing your story the same way you would think about framing your subject if you were taking a photo.
When you look at a photograph, your eye needs to know where to look. What’s important? What’s key to the idea or emotion that the photographer is trying to convey?
If you’re zoomed too far out, there are too many distractions. The audience doesn’t know what’s important, what to look at, or how to feel about it.
The key to a powerful photograph is to fill the frame with only what needs to be seen, and crop out the rest.
Your story needs the same editing.
Of course, your audience needs enough context to understand the moment. But they don’t necessarily need to know the entire backstory, or the details of everyone involved. Planning your message in advance can help you identify what’s important and what’s just filling space.
Ask yourself: If I removed this detail, would the audience still understand the story and its significance?
If the answer is yes, consider cutting it out. Your audience needs enough detail to understand the story, not every detail you remember about it.
Step 3: Know your focus.
A good photographer also makes deliberate choices about what is in focus and what isn't. These choices create a sense of depth and tell us where to direct our attention.
For example, check out these two photos, taken within minutes of each other, of one of the world’s most famous volcanoes (that’s Mount Ngauruhoe, renowned for its starring role as Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings).
In the first photo, Ngauruhoe draws the eye. It cuts an impressive figure - much like it does in real life - and in contrast with the cheery yellow flowers and lush foliage in the foreground, the snow on its peak gives a sense of its massive scale.
In the second photo, Ngauruhoe is…also present. But this time, it just seems like part of the background. Your eye is drawn to the perfectly ordinary asphalt road and scrubby bushes instead of the incredible star power of the volcano.
As a storyteller, you use framing in much the same way a photographer does. You get to decide what your audience should pay attention to.
Choose a story that illustrates your point and evokes the desired emotions. Cut away the extraneous information - anything that’s irrelevant to the point - and focus in on what matters. Be descriptive in the language and details that bring to life the main focus of your story. Slow down when you've reached the part you actually want people to remember.
If your story is bogged down with too much unnecessary “stuff,” the thing you're actually trying to communicate, as well as the emotion you’re hoping to convey, get lost in the background.
Quick note: this applies to your delivery as well if you’re giving a verbal presentation! Your voice, pauses, expressions and gestures can all help signal to your audience which parts of your story deserve their attention.
Step 4: Be clear on your angle.
Finally, a good photographer knows that the angle from which they photograph a subject is going to affect the audience’s emotional reaction to it.
The same is true in storytelling. Two people can experience the exact same event and tell completely different stories about it.
Whose perspective on the story does your audience need to see? Are you in favour of the idea you’re presenting or against it? How do you want your audience to feel about what happened? This also means knowing who your audience is and what will resonate, rather than trying to create a message that works for everyone.
Your choice of language, the details you emphasize and even where you begin and end the story can influence how your audience interprets it. So make those choices intentionally.
Step 5: Know where your story belongs.
Even if you follow all of these guidelines, a fantastic story can lose its impact if it’s used in the wrong place.
Don’t overwhelm your audience by telling a bunch of stories back-to-back. Instead, think about where a story might provide some context, draw some emotion, or illustrate a point that doesn’t have the same impact otherwise.
For example:
If you’re explaining a complicated concept, maybe a story can help make it more tangible.
If you’re presenting data, a story can illustrate the human experience behind the numbers.
If you're introducing a problem, a story can help your audience understand why they should care about solving it.
A story might be the best way to close your presentation, bringing everything you’ve talked about together and leaving your audience with something they’ll remember.
The stories and information within your communication should support each other. So, weave them together intentionally. Make your point, illustrate it with a story, and make the connection between the two clear.
Before you tell your next story
Storytelling is a powerful tool for communication, but it’s also an art. Before you tell your next story, ask yourself:
Why this story? What idea does it help me communicate?
What needs to be in frame? Which details will be valuable to my audience?
What's in focus? What is the most important thing I want them to notice or remember?
What's my angle? What perspective am I giving them? How do I want them to feel?
Where does it belong? What job is this story doing within the larger presentation?
Like a great photograph, a great story doesn't need to show us everything. It needs to show us the right things, in the right way, so that we’re likely to feel something in the process.
Your turn:
Want to become a more engaging storyteller and communicator?
Storytelling is just one of the skills we can work on through personalized communication coaching. Learn more about working with Stage Light Communications here.