Why do certain books, movies, and shows become timeless and affect people on magnanimous levels barring demography and geography? What captivates people to the point that the narrative is forever edged in people’s minds?
That’s what a good story and immaculate storytelling techniques can do to your mind.
It catches your attention immediately and captivates you at a deeper level that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. We get attracted to stories because we are social creatures.
This write-up will help you build on your storytelling techniques to create an engaging and perfect presentation deck.
Why Storytelling Works So Well in Presentations?
We know storytelling is good for grabbing attention. Let’s find out other reasons why it is an indispensable tool in good presentations.
- It entices people to help in lead conversions. According to data, storytelling improved conversions by 30%.
- Statistics support the fact that storytelling in presentations helps people retain information. According to data, people are 22 times more likely to remember things if they are part of a story rather than just plain facts.
- It will help you forge an emotional connection with the listener.
- Stories sound more persuasive than plain facts and figures. It renders a humane feel to the information, making it feel less robotic and automated and more human.
Storytelling Techniques to Create Perfect and Engaging Presentations
Stories can help you take your audience on a journey that leaves them motivated and inspired (in the end). However, to weave that perfect structure in your mind, which conveys the idea and information in the best way possible, requires another talent.
These storytelling techniques will render you the ability to touch the right chords at the right time and engage people right from the start.
1. Petal Structure
What does a flower petal look like? It has several leaves that connect to a single source.
The petal technique follows the same structure. You can take this concept when you have several disconnecting stories or multiple speakers that you want to organize around a single concept.
You tell your stories one by one, they can overlap too, like one story introducing another, but each story will be a complete narrative in itself. And all of this will relate to that one single message.
How does it help?
By showing key stories related to the central concept, you weave a strong impression and weight around your message and idea, telling everyone its true importance and thereby strengthening it more and more.
Example –
A typical software demonstration can be done using this method, highlighting and summarizing various aspects of the product.
A speaker used the story of buying a suit for work, correlating it with people’s need to buy software. He weaved a story around the flexibility, maintenance, cost, and mobility of the suit – similar to what you would need for software – correlating both.
2. Converging Ideas
The storytelling technique highlights how different types/strands of thinking converge together to form one single idea or concept.
It shows several equally important narratives coming to a sole strong conclusion.
How does it help?
You can use it to describe the birth of a movement or show how that idea culminated from the works of several individuals (working towards a singular goal).
Example –
A story chronicling the birth of Google, detailing the journey Larry Page and Sergey Brin undertook that resulted in the research project being born.
Another example is of Black Label Movement, where scientists and dancers came together to provide an alternative to boring presentations.
3. Sparklines
Everyone gets attracted to utopian fiction, right?
Because it takes us to a world – we would all like to be a part of – of what could be. The storytelling technique helps you map presentation structures.
It compares ‘what is’ with ‘what could be.’ This structure is well sought-after because it provides a contrast of our ordinary (real) world with the ideal world.
How does it help?
The presenter can bring awareness to the problems in our society, personal lives, and businesses. They can also instill a desire for change in the audience with this structure and showcase a better outcome. Sparklines is a highly emotional storytelling technique that will leave your audience motivated enough to support you.
4. The Mountain
The structure helps map the tension and drama in a storyline.
The timeline it follows goes like this –
The first part sets the scene, followed by a series of tribulations and small challenges, and then the rising action before the conclusion. The structure is similar to TV series, where each episode has its ups and downs before leading to the big finale at the end.
How does it help?
You want to use the plot to show how you overcame problems. You can tell how your company overcame adversities and flourished eventually (company’s growth journey) or how a customer overcame problems through the solution provided by you.
5. Nested Loops
Okay, so you have seen this technique in a lot of your favorite shows. Remember how an episode starts with 3-4 concurrent plots?
The 1st plot is introduced but cut mid-way at the point of high tension, and the 2nd plot gets introduced, and so on. All the plots are resolved later in the episode, with one left as a cliffhanger for the next episode.
Nested loops are a storytelling technique in which you layer three or more narratives within each other. The core of the story (the key part) is placed in the middle, and the stories around that help elaborate the central plot (principle).
The sequence you follow is like this –
1st story you start, you finish at last; the 2nd story gets finished 2nd to last, and so on.
How does it help?
Though not easily understood, it is a great tool for engaging your audience as they will be hooked to see the completion of all the loops.
Example –
Simon Sinek, in his TED Talk, uses the technique effectively. He starts by mentioning why Apple, Wright Brothers, and Martin Luther King were successful when others lacked. The audience gets answers quite late in the presentation, keeping everyone hooked.
6. In Medias Res
Do you remember watching dramas that started with a murder scene unfolding and then going back to the start revealing the turn of events?
That’s precisely In Medias Res storytelling technique.
You start your narrative in the heat of the action and then move on to the beginning to explain how you got there.
How does it help?
People are hooked on the story right from the beginning, eager to find out how it reached that point and what happens next.
However, this method works for shorter presentations, as you can’t drag your narrative for long and bore people. Also, don’t give away too much of your content in the beginning. Hint at something bizarre and keep them hooked to want more information.
Example –
Zak Ebrahim ricocheted off his TED Talk to reveal how his father was involved in the 1993 world trade center bombing. He later recounted his childhood and the turn of events that eventually led to this.
7. False Start
False start storytelling is when you start with a seemingly predictable narrative, then suddenly disrupt it unexpectedly and restart.
You start by giving people a false sense of security, luring them into the narrative, and then shocking them with the changed narrative.
How does it help?
This method is a quick attention hack as it will suddenly disrupt people’s expectations and prod them to pay more attention by turning the tables.
You can use the format when you want to talk about how you were not successful in something, reassessed, and came back with a much more innovative way to solve your problem.
Example –
You could describe how your new app was facing certain issues and didn’t succeed during the pilot run. Upon reassessing, you were able to correct the software issues and reintroduce it in the market with success.
8. Monomyth
AKA, the Hero’s Journey, the structure is widely used all over the world in folk stories, myths, and religious tales.
So, the structure goes like this –
The hero is made to leave home (the known territory) into a threatening unknown place due to some problem or challenge that he needs to overcome. After overcoming a difficult trial there, he returns home with a newfound wisdom/reward ready to be shared with his community.
How does it help?
It will help you shape your presentation around the wisdom you have imbibed and wish to share with people. The well-known structure will immediately bring your message alive for people.
Example –
Richard Turere, in his TED Talk, highlighted his journey of creating a system of lights to save his family’s cows from lions. He described the backdrop and the hardships the community faced (lions killing the families’ livelihood). He spoke about his failures and the eventual success that made him a hero to his community.
Note – In your sales presentation, be mindful of the role everyone plays in your story (the decision maker or the audience has to be your hero). You have to shape your presentation in a way that you understand their ordeals and that you are capable of a solution that will make them a hero by giving them the reward they seek.
Summing It Up
You can use the charm of stories to weave your information into something captivating. Different kinds of presentations will go well with distinct storytelling structures.
So, find which technique brings your message alive the most to make your next presentation captivating and powerful.
