A Business Motivational Speaker Teaches Storytelling Excellence
As an author and business motivational speaker, I have seen the effect on an audience of a well-told story many times. Here’s a short story which, if you live in the US, you will already know. After weighing in a 425 pounds, Jared Fogle decided to go on a ‘Subway Diet’. And, over a period of time, dropped to 180 pounds. An amazing feat!
And an equally amazing response by Subway’s marketplace. On January 1st 2000, Subway introduced Jared in a regional ad campaign. On January 3rd, the chat-show superstar Opera Winfrey called, wanting to interview Jared. And, over the next two years, Subway profits leapt a whopping 34 percent! Wow!
As all business motivational speakers know – like in the impressive Subway ad – the right story can bring outstanding results. And that’s why it’s worth telling stories in a corporate presentation. And so, as you look for suitable stories to tell your business colleagues and/or prospects, here are a couple of pieces of advice to bear in mind.
Get Clear About The Aim Of Your Presentation
Has your speech been written to inspire your team to greater effort? Or is your presentation focused on persuading a prospect to buy your product? A business motivational speaker knows the objective of her speech. As a result, suitable stories readily come to mind.
Fact is, industry speakers rarely have this kind of clarity around their business speeches. And one of the ways an inexperienced speaker can tell that he or she lacks clarity around a topic is that relevant stories are tough to find. However, once you’re really clear on the point you want to make, you’ll find stories pop-up everywhere you look. Key Point: Don’t forget to write down the story immediately. Otherwise, I swear, you’ll forget it.
The Best Motivational Business Speakers Make Someone Else The Rock Star
Fact: In a business setting, most audiences don’t care about you at all. And so, if all your stories revolve around how clever you are, don’t expect your audience to be impressed. However, make it about them and they will love you for it.
One final (and important) point: inspirational stories don’t need to be long. A brief story is often more than enough to achieve your objective. When you have complete clarity around the goal of your speech, a short (less than ten sentences) story is often more than enough to get your point across.
If you follow these simple pieces of advice your stories will make you sound like a true business motivational speaker. The best of luck for your next speech.
