Appealing to the emotions of the audience during a presentation is often a challenge even for experienced presenters. In such cases, it is recommended to get the audience a little concerned, to involve them in the life of the presenter. Storytelling is one of the best tools to do so. In this blog post, we present the principles and key elements of storytelling.
What is storytelling?
Storytelling is a communication technique to provide information for the audience. It is intended to evoke emotions and to influence participants. Although it is only now that storytelling has become fashionable, it has in fact played an important role in human relations for thousands of years.
The stories help the audience to imagine themselves in a different situation, move and inspire them. It does not matter if it is a real or fictional story, it can have a profound impact on human thinking and behavior.
Application of storytelling
Storytelling is popular in many fields. Beyond films and literature, it can be used in education, advertising and marketing.
Key elements of storytelling
But storytelling is not as simple as you might think. There are some basic principles and techniques that help to ensure that the stories you tell achieve their purpose of being memorable and having an impact on people. These elements are described in more detail below.
The power of human connections
Connecting with your audience is essential for a successful and memorable presentation. People are more likely to identify with stories and examples, so it is worth sharing some with your audience.
Characters
Every story needs a character to identify with.
Creating tension
A good presentation must be exciting. Nothing could be more exciting than to bring tension or disagreement into your story. It doesn’t have to be a tension in human relationships, it can be a problem that needs to be solved.
Promises
During the presentation, create interest by making promises and later fulfilling them. This will increase audience engagement.
Visual elements
Just like children, adults also understand stories better through pictures, videos, sounds or smells. They can be used to make the story more real.
Triggering emotions
As we have already told you in our previous blog posts, a good performance has an emotional impact. Whether it is joy or sympathy, the point is to make the audience feel closer to the storyteller, so that the participants remember the performance better.
Honest presentation
It is okay if the story is not completely true, but it is important that it is authentic and in harmony with the person presenting it. This is what makes the presentation and the presenter authentic.
Arc of storytelling
Storytelling needs to have a storyline just like the presentation itself. This means that there should be exposition, conflict, climax and resolution. These points help to hold the audience’s interest and attention.
While taking the above into account, it is also important to stress that in order to be a good storyteller, you need to practice and refine as much as possible.
Hopefully, this post will help you to easily apply storytelling with Vivicon in your presentations and it makes every presentation an unforgettable experience.
