Listeners remember less than 30% of what they are told in any given presentation. Less than that if they have their laptops, tablets and smartphones with them.
But a good story told well that connects the content with the listeners can be remembered for a long time.
Not only will the listeners remember the story, they are likely to remember the point the speaker was trying to make by telling the story and maybe even a fact or two that went with it.
Listeners these days are more mature or at least they have more information at their fingertips (literally) than they used to.
Related: 23 Thoughts to Improve Your Presentation Skills
Audiences want speakers who are knowledgeable, who can aggregate all the information available, and ‘bring it home.’ Nothing holds facts together like a good story.
Memory experts create mini-stories. Why not create bigger stories that tie thoughts, points, insights and facts together for your listeners.
Stories with layers can go even farther. In a recent presentation my slides told a story. There were mini-stories within the slides. And I told a story to hold all the slides together.
If I did my job well, the listeners would find themselves dwelling on my presentation, recalling the slides and the story that encapsulated it when I showed it.
Yeah … that’s it. Give your listeners something to dwell on and you have gold.
A good story is a great place to start.
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