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First, be sure the story is related to your topic and makes a point. And, just to be sure, start with a transitional sentence that clarifies the connection between your topic and the story you are about to tell. Make it your own story. Chances are, if you steal a story from another speaker, someone in your audience will have heard it. Make sure your story includes these elements: (1)A visual image, either on the screen or a vivid description; (2) feelings, shown through body language and the tone of your voice; and (3) auditory interest, for example, giving both sides of a dialogue can make the story come alive.
Most important of all, practice telling the story to several people before you tell it to a live audience. And finally, keep it short. Make most of your business stories one to three minutes. That’s enough to engage the audience and make your point. If needed, use a transition sentence after the story to tie it back to your presentation’s message. Here’s one example of a story.
"I was making a software product presentation to an important prospect. ‘Familiar and easy to use’ was a key bullet point on a slide. I asked the audience’s permission to use an example to describe what I meant. Asking the audience’s permission is a transition. Audiences also like to be asked about their own experiences. First, I questioned, ‘Do any of you ever travel?’ Most said, ‘Yes.’ Then I asked, ‘Do you ever rent a car?’ ‘Of course,’ they said. I told them when I rent a car I can always count on knowing exactly how to start the car and drive it. The gas pedal, key ignition, steering wheel, and brake are always in the same place. I am familiar with the user interface. It doesn’t matter what kind of car I get, all the user interfaces are basically the same. Our product is designed the same way. Users will not have to learn a new way to surf the Web. The toolbar looks exactly like Windows. Since they will be able to use our product without any training or fear of something new, this is a huge advantage in getting them to start and then continually use it."
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Summarize the Major Points
Even when you tell a story, you need to summarize its major point or points. You may say something like, "What this story points out is..." or "This story once again reminds us about how important our clients are to us." You could tell a story of how you worked with a client, then summarize the story by using this formula from Nick Miller, president of Clarity Advantage Company. In his sales consulting, Nick reminds salespeople to focus on what's important to the client with this formula: "Nick Miller, president of Clarity Advantage, helps companies generate more sales, faster, more efficiently."
As with any formula, you may choose to say the words a bit differently. Here are some examples of how formulas are used.
Formula 1: Your goal is...: "Your goal is to increase your market share." "Your goal is to revitalize your mature business."
Formula 2: We’re going to provide you with ...: "We’re going to provide you with an ad in Woman’s Day magazine." "We’ll provide trends analysis of your marketplace."
Formula 3: This will enable you to ...: "This will enable you to send people to your website." "This analysis will enable you to decide which areas to expand into."
Formula 4: You will gain ...: "You will gain more sales." "You will be able to gain more customers."
Make It Fun
Finally, you can connect to your audience by having some fun. When that’s possible, try it. Some presentations have lots of information, so it is hard to get people to pay attention throughout the whole talk. Heather Stefl with the consulting firm Computer Science Corporation does work for a federal agency in Washington, DC. She helped them create ways to get people to listen. For the last three years she has created games at the end of the agency’s presentations that cover information technology and data sharing topics.
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| Figure 1.7 |
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