22. Creating a Story File
If making your presentations come alive, capturing the attention and imagination of the audience and helping people remember the main point or message of your speech is done by adding stories to the mix, then how do you find stories?
By definition stories are a narrative either true or fictitious in prose or in verse, designed to interest amuse or instruct the hearer or reader. Stories or narratives are all around us. We can google and find stories on various subjects but the best stories are personal stories. With a personal story you have more chance to remember it because it is your story. You will be able to portray the characters easier because it is your own story – it happened to you or to someone close to you and you have personal knowledge of it.
If you are like me, ideas flit through your mind. I am always sure I will remember the idea, thought, story, quote or speech idea and yet I know that many times it becomes lost in time and space. How do you keep track of a good story that will work in a presentation. Often when I do plan to keep an idea and write it down, it will be on a piece of paper that I can’t find later.
To overcome those piles of little papers or lost in time and space ideas and stories we can start a story file. A story file can be kept in a journal, a notebook or digitally. We can create files on our computers, store it on a flashdrive, print off a copy and put it in a paper file in a cabinet. Pick a method, the type of file that works the best for you, and simply begin collecting stories, quotes, ideas and file them by theme. If you are just beginning to add stories to your presentations, start by collecting stories on your favourite theme to speak on. Then expand to more themes if you want.
Keep your eyes and ears open for stories but write them down rather than relying on your memory. Record them in some fashion. I have even just jotted thoughts that might spark a memory, a story or an idea for a presentation. I have opted for a notebook, or multiple notebooks instead of loose papers. When I write a story I do so at the computer and save it. This allows me to easily go back and do edits, pull it out to use with a presentation or share it with someone else.
One thing I have not done well, to this point, is have the stories sorted by theme. In the last post I mentioned a few possible themes. I do speak on several of them and some of my stories are able to be used in various types of presentations and with several of the themes. Maybe sorting by theme might have to be put on my to do list in order to help keep stories in a better file system. The important thing is to get a collection of stories, the more personal ones the better, and store them in a way that works for you to access them when you need them.
Do you have a story file? What works best for you to collect stories, anecdotes, thoughts and useful information on the theme you like to speak on?
Posted: October 22nd, 2016 under Storytelling.