The power of storytelling as a public speaking technique

There are many resources that can be used to communicate effectively during a speech; among these are stories. Stories allow us to articulate an entertaining narrative, which captures the attention of the listener until reaching a conclusion that connects with the essential points of our presentation. Although this technique is very useful in public speaking, it is important that we dedicate enough time to master it before using it. When we tell a story, it must have a background intention. The story is a narrative device, not a filler.

Regardless of how boring you think the subject matter of your speech is, a good story can be the special complement to liven up the talk and keep your listeners captivated. During the development of this session, we will be addressing the use of stories as a public speaking technique. Once you have incorporated this knowledge, you will have a powerful resource to build your speech in a pleasant and enjoyable way.

Use stories as a guide, not as filler: Stories should be a communicative guide for the listener. This means that the outcome of your story should have a clear intention to bring the audience closer to the concepts and ideas addressed during the speech. When this is not achieved, it conveys the feeling that you have used the story as a filler to lengthen the talk. Filler in communication can be detrimental, because it takes the audience away from the message you want to convey, dissociates attention and makes it difficult for the audience to make logical connections that allow them to continue with the thread of your narrative.

Before including a story in your speech, evaluate if it is well structured, understandable and coherent with the message of the presentation. If your story is not going to contribute elements in favor of your narrative thread, the best thing to do is to omit it or modify it to adapt it to the specific speech.

Generate interaction with the audience: One of the most effective ways to know if the audience has not lost the narrative thread is to maintain a certain degree of interaction with the audience. Introducing a story will open two narrative lines in the same speech. First, you have a speech with its own logical structure, to which you are now incorporating a second, shorter speech that must conclude within the first. Holding two narrative threads at the same time can cause a certain degree of dissuasion in the listener, who may lose the essential idea you want to communicate and start to wander into secondary elements.

In the middle of your story you can choose to ask a question or make a joke. In this way you seek to evaluate the degree of attention of the audience to know if they are still connected with the message or if they are beginning to disperse.

Do not load your speech with stories: There is no general rule about how many stories we can include in a speech or which are the right moments to do it; however, you must be clear that the more stories there are, the more complex it will be to make them connect with the central message of the speech. When you are just starting to develop your public speaking skills, it is best to use only a short and concise story, with a clear intention to explain in a simple way some concepts or to highlight the essence of your main message. Don't be afraid to experiment with longer stories as your experience grows. The key is to progress gradually to avoid unnecessary mistakes.