I believe ...
NPR has (or had, it may have been discontinued) a segment called "I believe." It features essays by various people, famous and not so famous, on a core belief they have. If I were to do one, it would believe, "I believe in story."
Story is especially important to public speaking. "Your ability to communicate is in direct proportion to your ability to tell a story." My freshman speech teach, Steve Euler, told us that, and it has stuck with me for over 30 years. Never forget the power of story, I tell my freshman (in an homage to fromage, it is reminiscent of the power of cheese commercial).
That being said, stories must be relevant; well told, that is, sufficiently detailed to engage the audience but not so detailed it takes so long and takes over the speech, and told with energy and timing; and placed correctly. Not all stories are public speaking appropriate. They must be practiced and their effectiveness not taken for granted. They must be based around incidents not so foreign to the audience that they can't relate to them. They must be plausible; for me that means public speaking appropriate stories must be true, and if not, the audience should be informed of their fictiveness. The best are personal ones, if possible, but there, too, certain principles apply. Humility and credibility demand a balance between narrating one's accomplishments and one's failures.
Stories can be in the beginning, middle, and end. A story can be cut in two and used for the introduction and conclusion. Story is not just a string of happenings. Stories have people, plot, and a point. Stories must be about people we can possibly care about, even if we don't (we still have a choice, don't we?). They must be about believeable happenings. And the point must not be stretched; in fact, the point should be clear without being stated.
I believe in story for its own sake, of course. Nothing is as wonderful a find as a new fable, parable, tale, or anecdote, especially of foreign origin that reveals a different way to responding, experiencing reality, or seeing nature. Story does not have to be didactic; in fact, that's where you lose an audience. "The moral of the story" is as deadly as "in conclusion."
Story is especially important to public speaking. "Your ability to communicate is in direct proportion to your ability to tell a story." My freshman speech teach, Steve Euler, told us that, and it has stuck with me for over 30 years. Never forget the power of story, I tell my freshman (in an homage to fromage, it is reminiscent of the power of cheese commercial).
That being said, stories must be relevant; well told, that is, sufficiently detailed to engage the audience but not so detailed it takes so long and takes over the speech, and told with energy and timing; and placed correctly. Not all stories are public speaking appropriate. They must be practiced and their effectiveness not taken for granted. They must be based around incidents not so foreign to the audience that they can't relate to them. They must be plausible; for me that means public speaking appropriate stories must be true, and if not, the audience should be informed of their fictiveness. The best are personal ones, if possible, but there, too, certain principles apply. Humility and credibility demand a balance between narrating one's accomplishments and one's failures.
Stories can be in the beginning, middle, and end. A story can be cut in two and used for the introduction and conclusion. Story is not just a string of happenings. Stories have people, plot, and a point. Stories must be about people we can possibly care about, even if we don't (we still have a choice, don't we?). They must be about believeable happenings. And the point must not be stretched; in fact, the point should be clear without being stated.
I believe in story for its own sake, of course. Nothing is as wonderful a find as a new fable, parable, tale, or anecdote, especially of foreign origin that reveals a different way to responding, experiencing reality, or seeing nature. Story does not have to be didactic; in fact, that's where you lose an audience. "The moral of the story" is as deadly as "in conclusion."
Comments