How to Use Storytelling in a Speech - Public Speaking Video Lecture - Public

so how do you use storytelling when
giving a presentation this confuses a
lot of people they get scared and they
say TJ I'm not a natural-born
storyteller
well baloney everybody tells stories
that's how we as human beings
communicate now the key you and giving a
speech or presentation is not to think
oh I have to start with a big grand
story or end with it now you need a
story every single major point you're
trying to make if you want people to
remember it what is a story all it is is
a conversation with you another person
about a problem where you were how you
felt how is resolved that's all it is
and we do this all the time over the
phone in the hallway but we stand up to
give the formal speech and we throw away
the stories don't do it you have stories
within you for example when I'm doing
media training with executives I try to
convey the message point that nobody's
born knowing how to speak to the media
it's a learned skill to illustrate that
I tell them a story now I don't tell
them I'm going to tell them the story I
just launched into 20 years ago I was an
aide for a member of Congress the phone
rings one day and it's a reporter from
the hill and the reporter says TJ tell
me about HR 1400 the legislation your
member of Congress is supporting and I
said well the legislation is unclear
it's being cleared up in committee and
when it does people realize it does X Y
and C so I hung up the phone I was quite
proud of myself I was the spokesperson
for this member of Congress the reporter
was quite happy said thank you very much
I went home that day I packed my
suitcase I was going to Hawaii the next
day at taxpayer expense I was working
for a Hawaiian member of Congress so I
packed my bathing suit I packed my
sunglasses the tanning oil I come in the
next day carrying my suitcase put it
down there right on my desk is the
newspaper I look at it
there is the story about this
legislation and in the first paragraph
according to spokesperson TJ Walker
quote the legislation is unclear end of
quote
page B 57 was the rest of my quote
saying all the good things about it
well couple minutes later the buzzer
rings the chief of staff says TJ won't
you come on in teach I've got good news
and bad news the good news is you're all
packed the bad news
you're not going into Hawaii you're not
going anywhere get out you're fired
so I learned firsthand that anybody can
make mistakes for the media because of
how I gave a complex answer I ended up
with a quote that made me lose my job so
if you're not completely comfortable you
know how to deal with the media you're
in good shape
it's a learned skill I learned the hard
way and as Warren Buffett said smart
people don't learn from their mistakes
they learn from other people's mistakes
you can learn how to be great with every
media interview without making mistakes
that cost your job okay so that was a
story it took less than two minutes to
say but it illustrates the key point
that nobody's born knowing how to be
great with the media I'd used a story to
illustrate the point it makes it more
memorable you can do the same thing