19. The Power of Story pt 4 – Examples of Stories for Presentations
Story touches our hearts. We can relate to the characters in the story. Today I will share one example of a story I use when I teach public speaking workshops. These workshops often involve people who are terrified to get up and do a presentation in front of co workers or their peers. At one workshop a gentleman tried to convince me he would have a heart attack if he had to come up and answer an impromptu question. Yet his livelihood involved sales and he needed to get over his fear
“How many of you are terrified to speak in front of an audience? How many are a bit afraid? How many don’t mind?” I watch as hands go up in each category. Then I begin this story.
“I stood in front of a class and asked them the questions I just asked you. I barely began the next part of my presentation when one of the men from the office ran past our open door yelling, “Smoke! Get Out! Get Out Now! Smoke” We waited in stunned silence, listening for the fire alarm. Finally I moved towards the door to check. Maybe it was a drill. Maybe a false alarm or someone just trying to scare us all. We could still hear his shouts as he continued to run down the hall, past all the doors and classes. I peeked out into the hall and to my right I saw smoke billowing. Turning to the class I urged them to walk to the nearest stairway and exit the building calmly. A rush of people headed towards the door and stairway. One lady tripped and a fellow student helped her up. Down four flights of stairs until we reached the outside and were hustled away from the building by fireman. Other fire fighters entered the building to find the source of the smoke and extinguish any fires before allowing us back into the building. After what seemed a long period of time watching smoke billow from our fourth floor classroom window, we were given the all clear to reenter the building. The elevator motor had burned and been contained. Our class opted to resume the next day in order to allow the smoke to be cleared from the classroom. A fire, smoke from and electrical fire and jostling on a stairwell all are terrifying and potentially lethal. How hard can it be, after that, to get up and speak in front of your peers. It may terrify you but it won’t kill you.”
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The gentleman, who thought he would have a heart attack, got up and did some speaking and survived quite nicely.Sometimes a story will help the audience relate in a way that just telling them public speaking will not kill you can. Sometimes we just need to nudge out of our comfort zone to discover a whole adventure.
” Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Neale Donald Walsch
What terrifying, potentially lethal story can you use as an example of overcoming the obstacle of speaking in public?
Posted: October 19th, 2016 under Storytelling.