Presentations have become a common form of interacting with your target audiences. Such presentations are used by various types of individuals such as corporates, public speakers, political leaders, investors, and even students. The key benefits of using presentations include forming an instant connection with your audience, keeping them interested by using visual cues and conducting an interactive session that helps in building followers. However, not everyone is a pro at delivering presentations. This blog will help you in becoming an effective storyteller by providing a list of important tips. So, here are 7 tips for effective storytelling that will turn your presentation into a masterpiece:
1. Share Personal Incidents
Personal incidents are a great way to interact with your audience. This is especially true is the incident is highly relatable. Smart presenters also have the ability to insert references to their main products or offerings within the presentation. For example, if the main purpose of your presentation is to attract investments for your startup, you could make capture the attention of investors by highlighting your mini achievements as a child. Sharing such incidents provides a personal touch to the presentation, helping you in achieving the target that you set out for yourself.
2. Build Suspense
A good storyline needs to have a strong base. This base helps you in forming a connection with your audience. One of the best ways to engage the audience is to create a degree of suspense. In order to do this, you could start off your presentation by recalling a workplace incident without revealing the ending. This will help in keeping the suspense alive for the rest of the presentation. Then you could move to the main agenda of the presentation. Then, towards the end of your presentation, you could reveal the climax of the story, thereby ensuring that your audience remains interested all the time.
3. Use Visual Cues
Presentations are a mix of verbal and visual interactions. You need to ensure that you are making full use of visual cues such as audio and video. You need to structure your slides in such a manner that the audience is not bored by text-heavy materials. Instead, you need to insert interesting videos that could ensure that your audience is interested throughout. Further, you could also analyse the audio and video so that the engagement levels remain high. You could also make a joke about some of the elements in the video, thereby ensuring that the presentation is not too serious.
4. Take the Help of Characters
Another technique that is commonly used in storytelling is to take the help of characters. These characters could be fictional in nature or could be inspired by movie protagonists. The general public is able to relate to characters instantly, and this helps you in pushing your main agenda forward. Characters are also great in the sense that they help you in giving life to any story. If you share instances of fortune or misfortune that these characters had to endure, then the audience will be able to connect with you instantly. You could also use such characters to highlight the key pros and cons of a particular issue. The use of characters could go a long way in putting your point across in a much more compelling manner.
5. Structure it Right
A lot of presenters make the mistake of not structuring their presentation right. The most common mistake is that people tend to present their data and slides to their audience, and then seek questions at the end of the presentation. This is not the right approach because it becomes highly monotonous. Even if an audience member has a relevant question to ask, they may not remember it till the time the presentation ends. Instead, it is a better strategy to ensure that the entire presentation is an interactive one. You need to be open to questions at any given point of time. This will also help you in understanding whether the audience is getting your ideas or not.
6. Be Authentic
In addition to the above, it is also important for you to be highly authentic. Merely being jovial and humourous does not mean that everyone in the crowd will like your style. Even if you are an excellent storyteller, you will not convince your audience if your body language is not correct. You simply need to focus on your central message and make sure that the audience is able to relate to what you are saying. Being authentic is the best way to convince people to do what you want them to do. This will also ensure that you do not lose face in front of your audience and come across as someone who is very genuine.
7. End with Calls to Action
Yet another element of a presentation is a call to action. A lot of presenters forget to inculcate this element into their presentations. You may be great at what you are saying. You may even be authentic and convincing. However, if you do not include any information about the next steps that your audience could take, they may not do anything despite liking your storyline. You need to include calls to action such as visiting your website, setting up an appointment, or reviewing the performance of your company. Such calls to action can help you in achieving the desired outcomes that you want.
Thus, to sum up, successful storytelling comprises various elements that you need to focus on. You need to create presentations that create an impact by leveraging audio and visual elements. Similarly, you need to take the help of relatable stories and characters in order to ensure that the audience remains interested. You should also try to make your presentation as interactive as possible, while also including relevant calls to action. Finally, you need to be authentic and come across as someone who knows what they are doing.