Follow these 3 powerful tips, your presentation will be fantastic!
- Start « as if » you were telling a story.
- Call your Superhero!
- Follow the magical « Rule of Three ».
Are you ready?
- Start « as if » you were telling a story. Find the thread, the situation, the main characters, the conflict and begin telling your story aloud. If you can, record yourself via your computer or your phone. A great way to do that is to tell what you are going to talk about to a trusted friend, someone who would listen to you actively and reformulate what you really want to say. Speaking in a natural, conversational style will enable you to engage with your audience.
« Why do we pay more attention to conversational speech from a storyteller or presenter? It may be because our brain—not our conscious mind—does not know the difference between listening to (or reading) a conversational narrative and actually being in a conversation with a person. When you are in a conversation with someone, you are naturally more engaged because you have an obligation to participate. Formal speech and writing devoid of any emotion is extremely difficult to stay with for more than a few minutes. Your conscious mind has to remind you to “stay awake, this is important!” But someone who speaks in a natural, conversational style is far easier to stay engaged with. » Garr Reynolds
- Call your Superhero! Be the hero of your own life! Use your whole self (mind, body and heart) to express what you want to say. Deliver with passion. Believe in what you are going to talk about. Find your « Why? ». Be 100% certain about your intention: why you want to speak, why does it matter? Identify with your purpose, your values and stretch yourself!
How do you do that? Recall your own success stories, these fabulous moments in your life where you experienced « flow », where you felt aligned with your values, purpose, skills and actions. Reconnect with the feelings and emotions associated with these experiences of success.If you had to name a character, a « hero », fictional, historical or ordinary, who would it be? Make it personal, make it fun, make it yours. How did you feel like, in that situation of excellence, of flow? The only limit is your imagination!
My own favorite superhero used to be Mrs Incredible, Helen, the elastic girl, with her incredible family!
Why? She seems to integrates brilliantly work and family, is (very) powerful and has a strong sense of humor. She’s flexible, warm-hearted and leads a very simple life, most of the time…
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t take myself for a Superhero! I can only too easily identify plenty of other less flattering role models from comics (the ditsy Dory, the sarcastic and lazy Garfield, the grumpy bossy Lucy in Peanuts, or the ugly duckling…)
But this little figurine keeps me focus, it stands on my laptop, sometimes in my pocket and gives me strangely confidence, when I need to stretch like an elastic out of my comfort zone, especially!
- Follow the magical « Rule of Three ». The best stories always follow the Rule of Three.There were the three musketeers, the three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears…
In the fairy tales, Jack and the Beanstalk has Jack climb the beanstalk three times.
The wicked stepmother visits Snow White in the forest three times before she finally causes her to fall dead.
Rumpelstiltskin spins three times for the heroine and lets her guess his name three times and days.
Regarding the rule of three in presentations, much has been said already, so I recommend you read some excellent articles and tips from Max Atkinson and Nick Morgan.
« One of the attractions of the three-part lists is that they create an impression of completeness. Lists with only two items in them sound inadequate, while lists of four items or more are more difficult for an audience to take in. » Max Atkinson.
Andrew Logan, in 6 minutes tells us how using the rule of three can improve your speeches by:
- Writing triads of words, phrases, and sentences
- Applying three-part speech outlines.
- Adding an unexpected twist to the third element (from BoomBoomBoom to BoomBoomBANG!)
“We find something complete and satisfying in a group of three, like a three-legged stool that can stand firmly on uneven ground” Nick Morgan
Take Action, now!
Use the power of Comics and Storytelling
- What is Your Story?
- Who is Your Superhero?
- How could You use The Rule of Three?
Believe in Yourself and Speak Up!
Next post will be how to use comics « figurines » to improve confidence, develop focus and achieve your goals.