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Presentation Skills and the Experiential View

How to avoid a common mistake in storytelling

Are you a specialist in your field? Do you have a way of working, coaching, developing a product or creating art that is so unique that you can't wait to talk about it? That's fantastic! There are people eagerly awaiting your story, and hungry for what you have to offer. The trick is not to bore them before they get to the good stuff about you!

We all have experienced the situation that I am talking about; You simple ask, " what is it you do?" to a new acquaintance and what seems like an eternity later, the flood of information is still rising and you are searching the room for a rescue.

Well-intentioned as this person may be, they suffer from what my husband has termed "lack of situational awareness".

We certainly don't want to think that we could ever be that person (heaven forbid!) but there is an awareness that we need to have when we develop our stories; I am speaking specifically of stories that we tell about ourselves, what we do, and how we help others. These stories are crucial to the success of entrepreneurs, authors, coaches... really anyone that wants to be successful and influence others.

The key is to keep your story succinct. Follow this easy template:

» Who are you? Or Who is the person/ client that you helped?
» What happened to you or them? What was the problem?
» What did you do?
» What is the result of your actions/ program/teaching, etc?

The most difficult of these steps for most enthusiastic professionals is the third one, "what did you do?" (This is where "succinct" gets forgotten) This step is the most difficult because a specialist loves what they do, and wants to proudly say "how" they do it. Problem is, the listener, at least initially, is more attracted to "what was the result?" Don't forget, it is human nature to constantly use the filtering question, "what's in it for me?"

Drown your listener with your "process" and they won't see the payoff quickly enough, and they zone out. Eyes glaze over and a polite exit from the conversation will most likely me next.

To prevent that disconnect, learn to be aware of when you go into "process."

An example:
A woman named Liza runs an alcohol recovery program. She proudly tells: " A 21 year old man was brought to me; he was living on the streets, hungry and very thin and truly didn't know how he would survive the next night, I introduced him to our unique program and within months he learned that he could contribute greatly to society, and now owns a business, and a home and is living a life he could not imagine just two years ago!"

Curious about that program, huh? Notice, nothing is said about the process of what she does... the experience of the young man's recovery is engaging, and we are left to ask the question, " wow, what is this program?" If you get the listener to want to know more, then you have permission to go into what your process actually is.

Had Liza gone into detail right in the beginning, " we placed in him a room in our facility where there was 24 hour watch, and provided him with nutritional testing, and a need-specific diet. We engaged him in group session and single therapy sessions on a daily basis until.... ( blah blah...uh huh), how many people would be ready to ask for more information? There would be no need, and the experience of the man's story would have been diluted by excess of words.

It takes some practice to understand what "process" talk sounds like... I had a coach that would call me on it! Every time I would start to describe the "How I do It" she would shout, "process!" (And I would hate her momentarily... but, it helped!)

Focus on the experience of what you do. Let them see how you can help them, their company, their loved one. Then, let them ask for more.

Source: Sandra Dee Robinson link

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