WAKE 'EM
UP!
Business
Presentations
A book on public speaking by Tom Antion
Learn how to use humor and other professional techniques to create alarmingly good Business Presentations.
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Asides
Storytelling DO's
Storytelling DON'TS
4 Storytelling Tricks
Asides
Another effective way to add
humor to your presentation from my book on public speaking is to use asides. An
"aside", a term that originated in theater, is something that is said to the
audience that's not supposed to be heard by the other actors.
For example, if the aside was delivered on a television sitcom, the actor
would look right into the camera and talk to the viewers at home, while the
other actors would not notice. In children's television shows such as
"Blue's Clues", asides are used throughout the whole show as the man talks
about the puppy, Blue, to the kids at home watching as if they are really
there.
In my book on public speaking you will learn that asides are done by taking a
temporary departure from the main theme or topic to deliver a point. If you
get good at using this technique from my book on public speaking, the audience
will think you are a fun and clever presenter.
The way it works is to begin telling a story or giving information on a
certain topic, then going off on a tangent (aside) indirectly related to the
main theme. When you have finished your aside, you then pick up where you
left off and keep right on going. Often times this aside provides rich,
varied, and valuable background information for the listener or it can
simply be a funny story that relates to your topic.
At first, the audience may think you are a little confused when you leave
the original topic, but once you return to it after the aside, they will
realize that you are in total control, and know your subject completely.
This is very impressive to your audience and shows them that you are
completely in control of your topic. For example great storytellers are able
to take you down several auxiliary paths, but still move you along the main
path from beginning to end. Being a great storyteller is a good skill from
my book on public speaking.
I tell a story about some medical work I had done once. The doctor said to
me, "This will just pinch a little bit."
That sentence sends me down a whole different path talking about how my
dentist had said the same thing as he pushed the Novacaine needle up into my
brain, twisted it around, and pulled it out.
I then came back to the main line of the first medical story until I got to
the word gauze. That word sends me off on another story about my mother
ripping gauze off me. Then it is back to the main topic again.
You can alert the audience of an upcoming aside by saying the word
"incidentally" before switching topics.
Another good technique in doing asides is to go to a different side of the
stage when you start to share an aside. Get good at sharing asides and you
will add a new dimension to the way you tell your funny stories or deliver
information.
Practice using asides and you will becoming a great storyteller, telling of
great truths and human triumphs.
Storytelling DO's
Stories can be used during your
presentations to illustrate a point. Always make sure the story you tell is
relevant to the material you are presenting. You will learn about the many
different aspects of telling a good story when you read my book on public
speaking.
Select stories that will match the intelligence, experience, occupation, and age of the audience as well as the nature of what you are speaking about. You don't want to talk over the heads of the audience members and you don't want to bore them with stories that are too simple. If you can space stories at intervals throughout your presentation to provide a change of pace and to reemphasize your message. Remember the listening pattern you want to create in the audience. You must connect with the audience and use your skills from my book on public speaking effectively.
Tell stories about your troubles, stupidity, or ignorance. People like you when you use self-effacing humor because they see themselves mirrored in your weaknesses. Make sure to eliminate unnecessary detail. Use the fewest number of words that convey the message in an interesting fashion.
Rule: The longer the story, the funnier it must be. You must make jokes and funny stories believable up to a point. Use factual, specific details that the audience can relate to, i.e., say the brand name like 'Lots-o-Suds' rather than just 'laundry detergent'.
Writing the story out will help you see words that you can eliminate without changing the story, this is a valuable technique from my book on public speaking. Harry Truman once said "It takes me two weeks to prepare a good five minute speech."
Keep your funny stories short during your presentations. An axiom in the public speaking is the size of the laugh is inversely proportional to the number of words used to get to the punch line.
The more truthful and specific the story sounds the more your audience will get caught up in what you say. And getting the audience involved in what you say, getting "connected" to your message for them is extremely important.
Make sure to specify the location of a joke or story. If your story takes place in a restaurant say, "I was at Jerry's Sub Shop in Rockville, Maryland, the other day." This gives the audience something concrete to think about, which makes them more involved mentally.
When crafting a story, use people, places, and things the audience knows. When the audience is familiar with the elements in your story, they will become even more involved. As soon as you mention the company cafeteria, their minds race to the cafeteria to meet you and find out what happens. However, don't use humor that is too inside. Only a few people will understand it. Your job is to try to connect with every member of the audience.
Another tip is to emphasize the adjectives and verbs in your stories to make them sound more interesting and detailed. For instance look around where you are right now and describe anything you want. Make sure to use great detail. Really put punch behind the adjectives and verbs and see how your description comes to life. Use specific and interesting verbs and adjectives. Say I was exhausted, not I was tired. Emphasize one syllable, and pause for effect.
Say, "her head was nodding and drooping, struggling to be held up", not "her head was down".
Think about how a good book you read makes very descriptive sentences in order to place you in the story. You must do the same when telling a story in order to create the best effect. Learn your stories. In a normal speech if you forget the exact thing you wanted to say, you can improvise and go on. But if you leave out an important detail in a story or if you accidentally give away the ending too soon, you have ruined its effect.
I tell a story at least 30-50 times in private before I'll test it out in front of an audience.
Always try to use true facts from your own life. This makes it easier for you to tell the story because you lived it and someone else can't steal your story as easily if all the facts have to do with your life.
Create a funny story so that it concludes abruptly with a climactic word. Don't utter another syllable or sound after this word or you might distinguish the laughter you worked so hard to get.
Exception: Some stories get laughter all along the way, if properly presented after much private practice. More of these stories are used by humorists who practice to be and are expected to be funny all the time.
Work out different lengths of the same story to fit different time segments.
(Yes, I've snuck a Don't in the Do's section.) Don't memorize your stories word-for-word.
I know a speaker who speaks primarily to school aged children. They often ask, "How do you memorize all that?" He replies, "I don't memorize it, I know it by heart." There is a distinct difference. By not memorizing, you won't feel forced to say every word, every time you tell the story. You can change the length of the story easily by adding or subtracting detail. You can even be interrupted, and pick up where you left off, which is especially important with audiences of curious, rambunctious children.
Super Trick: Have a quotation ready that makes the same point as your story. If your time is shortened, you can cut out a story and replace it with a quote.
Slant your story to the intended audience. When telling a story to a group of executives you would probably want to use different language and emphasis than if you were telling the same story to a group of secretaries. Change nonessential elements of the story to make a better connection with your audience.
Use terms like "Imagine this", "Have you ever had an experience where ... ", "Let me take you with me to ...", to draw the audience into your stories, into the word pictures you are painting on the canvass of their minds.
Storytelling DON'TS
You can definitely learn about
the best way to tell a story from my book on public speaking. Here are some DONT"S to remember.
Don't say the words "funny", "reminds me of", "story" or "I heard a good one the other day..." when beginning your story. These words tell the audience that a story is coming and causes the audience to resist your story rather than just getting carried away in what your saying. They feel like saying, "Let's see you make me laugh." or "OK (yawn), here comes another story." They want you to prove to them that you can tell a good story or funny joke instead of just being involved in what you are saying
Don't say, "I don't know if I should tell this one..." If there is any doubt in your mind about whether a story is appropriate for a particular audience, then please don't tell it.
The best way to start a story is to just get right into it. You should already be into the story before anyone realizes that you are telling a story. That way they are already deeply involved and don't have time to resist. For example, you could say:
"In the cab today ..."
"I was talking with ..."
"There was this man ... "
"On the flight here ..." or "Driving in this morning ..."
These are all good ways to just begin your story without alerting your audience to the fact that its a story.
Now you can use phrases like, "Let me take you back ...", "Come with me ...", "Imagine ...", "Visualize this ...", are a little different because even though they alert the audience that a story is coming, they also serve to get them so involved emotionally that any resistance is counteracted.
When ending a story, never say, "But seriously folks..." If the story was funny you don't have to say, "Hey Stupid! That was a joke." Give your audience some credit. To exit a story, don't say anything about it being over. Just make a slight change in delivery, tone, rate, expression, etc., and continue on with your program.
A change of expression on your face or a different pose, are both body language that can say, "We are moving on..."
Here are some More Don'ts:
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Die of printed page poison. Written stories must be changed to be recited aloud.
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When you find a story that you like in a reference book, you cannot say it exactly as it is written or you will sound stupid.
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Use terms that may be foreign to the audience. Educate and excite the audience with new words, new experiences, new insights.
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Fake truth is essential to humor even if the story is totally untrue.
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After the punch line of the humorous story, most (not all) folks will "get it" and realize you were in the story just for effect, not in reality.
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The exception to the need for fake truth is when you are telling an exaggeration. Then anything goes.
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You must knock out the he saids and she saids. People care about Dick or Jane, not about him or her, he or she.
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Don't give a history lesson when telling a humorous story, because many of us think of history as long and boring. Humor is best when it is short and sweet. Put yourself into the story to make it believable, even if you are faking your being in the story.
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Use too many stories on the same topic. Each successive one will lose impact.
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Tell a story where you are the hero. If you are the hero, make it appear that it was dumb luck that made you so (self-effacing humor).
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If you are a bonafide hero, forget what I just said, but make sure you add a healthy dose of humility for best connection with the audience.
Example:
I had a terrible day at the beach. I came home with 14 harpoon wounds.
That exaggeration is pretty evident to anyone. Now to twist the humor, you can say,
"Fortunately, they were all in the fish I speared. Anyone for a fish fry?" Now you are the hero, too!
In my public speaking book you will learn how to keep the attention of the audience by telling a story the right way.
4 Storytelling Tips
Check out these last few
storytelling tips from my book on public speaking.
TIP: Use above tip along with changing your voice tone to indicate different characters.
TIP: Look in different directions to indicate different characters. The audience will associate a stage right or stage left look with the different character from your story.
TIP: Use different postures for different persons, body language can speak loud and clear. (for example, you could hunch over to represent an older person)
TIP: Do what the written story says. If it says Joe cleared his throat, you clear your throat at that point in the story.
Without saying a word, you can communicate loudly when you use body language to tell a story.
Use these storytelling tips and tricks from my book on public speaking to improve your speaking skills.
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