using story

We all love a good story!

Once upon a time there was a very skeptical person who felt nervous about sharing stories with serious and seriously busy senior executives. After being rewarded by an especially happy ending when she first tired it, these days using stories in her professional presentations always feels a useful option.

Be assured that the simple conventions of set up, build up and pay off are a tried and tested format, which will feel natural to follow for both you and your audience. It is also a far more engaging way to engage people as they are usually keen to hear the final pay off. 

Outlining the current status quo, who the characters are in your story - the goodies as well as the potential baddies, you set the scene. You can then flesh out the problem to be resolved so that your proposed solution has the best chance of being accepted.

It's clear to see how well this classic formula could work therefore for most content and on any type of audience. Even those who might otherwise be indifferent to your core message will at least have been provoked into reconsidering the status quo. Their resistance more likely to be directed at your proposed methods rather than the issue to be resolved.

And if you are one of the few people left on the planet who has yet to see Steve Job's seminal presentation on the launch of the iPhone, notice how conviction, well paced authentic delivery and simple imagery have the power to engage.

He follows the classic persuasive formula as he sells us the problem we weren't aware of at the time - the limitations of our existing technology. All of which adds up to a compelling watch. 

Clean visuals support what he has to say, rather than competing with his words. He grabs our attention from the very start, using personal disclosure to draw us in, he also owns the stage. 

return to writing with impact…