Can you remember any Bible stories?

How about Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the Whale or the First Christmas? Did you realize these stories are thousands of years old?

The most recent, The First Christmas was decades old before it was scribed. They were all passed on verbally for years before being written. Much of our history is passed on initially by word of mouth through story before being written. We are wired for story.

Our family has plenty of stories. Some serious, like Lynnda’s car accident. Some serious at the time but funny now. Like my first Ferris wheel ride. It made me sick. I was ready to heave my lunch on the seat.

My friend Ritchie said, “No, no quick over the back.” I did. My brother, John and his friend were in the car below. One hand was on their heads wiping off goo. The other in a fist shaking at me. Every time the fair came to town for years, John and I were jokingly reminded of the incident by our friends.

We have many family stories of our Christmas traditions growing up. Like waiting for Santa or Mom’s baking. These stories are passed on to our children and grandchildren. Our grandchildren don’t know their great-grandparents except through our family stories.

In recent years because of my writing some of our stories have been written down. Great stories are memorable and repeatable. When family gets together usually stories get told.

The consistency from year to year is remarkable.

My professional speaker friends from the National Speakers Association showed me the power of story in presentations. For a story to be effective it must support the point we want to make. On a family picnic my brother, Ronald picked up a hot charcoal when he was 2 years old. Mom told him it was hot. The charcoal was covered with ash so it didn’t look hot. He got a bad burn from it. When we taught our children about hot charcoals, the Uncle Ronald story emphasized the point. My children never got burned.

Even though we routinely use stories with friends and family, they are rarely used in the business presentations I see at conferences. We get the facts, normally presented in a boring Power Point. Some speakers read their entire presentation or their slides with little or no emotion. I couldn’t remember their point 5 minutes after they finish. Probably few in the audience could. It’s not about our message whether in business or to our friends and family. It is what the audience or our children remember. Stories help people to remember. Jesus taught in parables (stories). We can read them in the Bible. His disciples remembered them and retold them until they were written down decades later.

When I presented my first major technical paper at a conference in Morgantown some years ago, I followed the advice of my NSA buddies and opened with a memorable story about Lynnda’s stuffed Pooh Bear to get the audience’s attention and make my main point. Six months later I was at a restaurant in Charleston talking to a friend. When I turned to return to my table a man spun around, pointed at me and said, “You, you!” Taking a step back I said, “What, what!” “You’re the guy whose wife made him sleep with a teddy bear.” He had seen my presentation at Morgantown. It was the only time I told that story. He remembered the story. More important he remembered the point that when with it.

As speakers, presenters, trainers, teachers, coaches or parents, it isn’t about us, our organization or our message. It is all about the audience even it is an audience of one like a child or spouse. What do they need to learn from us? How can we teach it in a way they will remember? One powerful way is to use a story. Here are some important ideas to keep in mind about using and telling stories;

∫ Each story must illustrate a point related to your topic. Never tell an unrelated story just to get a laugh.

∫ Introduce the characters so people will know who they are and their relationship to you.

∫ It is usually best NOT to be the hero of your own story. Let the hero be someone else. In my story about Pooh Bear, my NSA buddies are the heroes.

∫ A story can be very short, less than a minute or several minutes. Don’t drag it out. Keep it moving and make the point to the audience.

∫ In longer stories, with practice you can act out the story. Don’t just tell, show. Use a prop if appropriate. I took Pooh to Morgantown.

∫ Be passionate and energetic in your actions and voice.

∫ Think about effective stories you have seen told, heard or read. What did the teller do? Watch stand-up comedians and how they tell stories.

∫ Practice, practice, practice telling stories. Use your computer to record and critique yourself.

∫ You won’t get better in a day. You get better day by day.

∫ Remember it’s all about the audience!

These are just a few ideas. Learn from others. I participated in full day workshops and seminars to learn from expert story tellers. Consider using stories to open or close your presentations. People love stories. They are a powerful tool. When coaching high school soccer, I always use stories to teach or motivate. We can create belief in the present by using examples of success from a previous team or player they can relate to. I believe humans are natural story tellers. We have been telling stories for thousands of years. When I was an adjunct professor, my students learned to present and tell stories in a very short time. In Germany story opened and closed the SCUSA presentation.

Be memorable. It’s not what you say. It is what your audience remembers and how you make them feel.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA, www.shalecrescentusa.com. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is a professional speaker and author of four books and numerous published articles.