Can personal stories make my speech more interesting and impressionable? And if so, how do I make sure I have great stories to tell?
Absolutely! Telling personal stories is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make your speech interesting and impressionable. It is infallible. You can be the most boring speaker in the entire universe, but when you tell a personal story, you will automatically be forgiven. Your stories not only build a relationship with your audience, they set you apart from the rest of the speakers. In the eyes of your audience, you are unique!
However, many speakers fail to take advantage of the wealth of stories they have accumulated over the years. It’s like a gold mine waiting to be mined! And I urge you to START STORY MINING!!!
“But I don’t have big stories to tell!”
Is not true. If you open your eyes and pay attention, you will find tons of stories to tell. As Jim Key, the 2003 world champion speaker, emphasized: “Things happen, pay attention!” They may not necessarily be of Hollywood quality, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good enough. In fact, with all the hype about Hollywood movies, we’re dying to hear some everyday stories that can happen to any of us. Think about your last dinner with your friends. Didn’t everyone have a few stories to bring to the table?
Just this morning, something funny happened at my house. And I paid attention!
Roommate 1: (complaining) My life sucks!
Roommate 2: (seriously) Don’t worry. It would be over soon.
Roommate 1: My life??!!
There you go, a hot story that I can share with my friends and audience. And I can use it to prove a point. Instead of telling the story of “Is the glass half full or half empty?” (which is an extreme cliché!), I could replace it with the above anecdote. 100% original. Who would have thought? Things happen, pay attention!
So this is what I encourage you to do. Things happen all the time. If you open your eyes and pay attention, the stories to tell will overwhelm you. Always keep a pencil and paper in your pocket. Whenever something interesting happens, write it down. It could be a conversation with your mother. It could be an incident that happened in a restaurant. If you find it interesting or funny, write it down. Transfer it to your computer and save all these stories in a folder. You may even want to categorize your stories any way you like.
This folder is going to be your treasure chest. The next time you speak, open your treasure chest and choose a couple of stories that you think would relate to your message. Incorporate them into your speeches and watch how effortlessly you wow your audience! Trust me, it works ALL the time!