Kids love a good story. It’s not a secret, but so do big kids, you know those who are often disguised as adults.
It is worth considering what it is that kids love about a good story, then applying those techniques to our own storytelling when we are in front of a crowd.
Strategies:
Alliteration: Preachers use this a lot – each point of their message starts with the same letter.
Acronyms: The first letter of the points in your talk spell out a memorable word.
Rhyme and Rhythm: Think catchy, like diddies and jingles.
Related: 15 Skills to Develop Your Professional Speaking
Funny names: There are sites devoted to this.
Distinctive Voices: I don’t do impressions, but I can do emotions.
Exaggeration: your voice, your feelings, your sensations, soooo, veerryyy.
Putting your audience or yourself in a story: I don’t poke fun at others any more. But I can make others the hero in my story.
Repetition: Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Remind them from time to time what you are telling them. Then tell them what you told them.
Anthropomorphization: Giving animation, voice and movement, to inanimate objects.
Giving Characters the Stage: Was it Twain who said, “Don’t tell me the lady screamed. Bring her up on stage and let me hear her scream?”
Simple techniques? Not really.
Effective? Really.
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