Do you know that storytelling is crucial for your business? Here is why…

Our brains are weired to remember stories and messages that are etched on our memories for being special in some way. That’s why it’s vital to tell a story when giving a speech or presentation. One idea, one story. In this way your message will be interesting and memorable. Consequently, you will engage your audience and keep their attention. 

Talk about your own experiences

Avoid doing a massive data dump. It’s boring and people won’t remember it. Instead, focus on your own story. Everyone has stories and experiences that shape us to who we are now. By telling a story about an event that affected you in a significant way and that you learned from, you will inspire trust and your audience will really listen to you. You are likely to increase the odds that people will remember your key ideas because they’ll be able to link them to the stories they heard and liked. Also, you’ll come across as more sincere and open. Such traits tend to attract others and make them develop emotional bond with the speaker. 

Show passion

Remember to be authentic and passionate when telling your stories. It’s congenious. On the contrary, if there isn’t some element of truth in your narrative, you won’t stand much of a chance of creating an emotional connection with your audience. Make your ideas come alive by reliving real experiences you had.

Be yourself

Your story doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. It’s enought when it’s genuine because transparency shows your uniqueness and acknowledges a human aspect of your business. If you achieved your goals the hard way, you can share your own challanges and failures recognizing that things are not always easy. People will appreciate it and, perhaps, owing your experiences they will be able to avoid some mistakes as your story will serve them as a guidance.  

Set a clear goal

Decide what you want your audience to do after listening to your story. Establish a clear outcome. Do you want them to be your clients or business partners? The story gives an idea of who we are and sparks confidence in our values and offerings.

Follow the sequence of events

Be consistent when speaking and know the story really well before presenting it to anyone so you can do it naturally. You’ll appear truly convincing and people will have a good feeling about you. This will get them to connect with your ideas and also look to you in the future.

Business English for better storytelling

If you want to tell your stories in a business context you should also pay attention to using proper vocabulary and expressions which will make you sound more professional. People will be convinced that you are an expert in your field. For this reason, if you struggle with expressing yourself clearly as long as business matters are concerned it’s absolutly essential to work on your Business English skills. There are lots of resources available, however, focus especially on your speaking skills. The best option would be one-to-one sessions with a private tutor specialising in Business English either online or offline depending on your schedule and prefereces.  

By Joanna Borzym  |  Jan 12, 2019