Salesmen tell stories to sell their product. Teachers use stories to help with the teaching. Analysts use stories to explain the numbers. No matter what line of work you are in, being a skilled storyteller will give you a decisive advantage! Face-to-face interactions will never replace experience with storytelling. So what are the secret techniques of top storytellers in the workplace? Decipher the secrets now with G!VOICE!
Be creative
Like reading books or watching movies, storytelling involves drawing the audience into the story. Storytelling is a process of “recreation”. You are creating the feeling, building up the atmosphere, or presenting a concept. When faced with an audience from different backgrounds, having something in common is the best way of achieving resonance. Alternatively, a lively performance will also help people understand what the storyteller is getting at. To draw other people in, you must get into the groove yourself first. Add some elements that boost your imagination such as music, pictures, items or even leave a certain amount of room for imagination, then enjoy the story with your audience!
▲Storytelling is a process of imagination between the teller and listener.
Body Language
Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy once said: “Body language decides who you are.” When speaking, we often concentrate on using tools and speech to express ourselves. Yet we forget all about a decisive weapon we are all born with – body language. The audience may comprehend the content through the voice, but vision remains the most direct way of receiving information. Physical motions such as the look in your eyes, hand gestures and positioning all explicitly convey the speaker’s condition. Whether they are anxious or relaxed is plain to see. It can even convey all kinds of scenarios to the audience. Amy Cuddy also suggested that, by adopting a confident posture, people can become more self-confident as well and gradually change their lives. Be it a performance, a proposal or even when facing the customer or colleagues, making good use of body language will enhance your charisma!
▲Amy Cuddy suggested that external posture will affect inner self-confidence.
Create tension
Stories with one climax after another are always captivating. By continuing to bury clues and reveal new secrets, people will be gradually drawn to the heart of the story and become anxious to see its conclusion. By making use of storytelling techniques, a good speaker can create the same atmosphere as an exciting movie or novel. Use techniques such as tone, manner, props, humor and suspense to control the pace of the story. By mixing tension, relief and surprise, you will have the audience eating out of your hands.
Audience participation
Two-way communication always triumphs over one-way absorption. Through questions, sensory stimuli and games, audience participation can enhance comprehension by turning it into personal experience. This makes it very hard to forget! There are also “tricks” to interaction. Examples include questions with several possible answers, topics that the other side is interested in, inviting the others to perform an action or repeat after you. After that, give praise and affirmation. A positive interaction will create a storytelling experience that is pleasant for both sides and memorable.
▲Interaction during storytelling is like passing the ball. It has wonderful positive effect on both the listener and speaker.
Storytelling is a skill that you must learn to master. If you can enjoy the experience of sharing every time and apply it in your life, you can create your own unique storytelling style as well!
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