Put the Audience in Your Story
Put the audience in your story to better engage them and leave them with a memorable experience.
Fully engage your audience with your stories by putting them in the story. Help them see and feel the circumstances personally.
Imagine how your audience feels when they experience your story as opposed to simply hearing it.
If you were an Olympic athlete, how would you tell your story to the audience? You might start with you how you felt, how you prepared and what you did. You might even inject this cheesy line, “If I could do it, so you can.”
And you might believe that statement engages the audience. Guess again.
Vince Poscente was an Olympic athlete in speed skiing. Imagine how tough it is to put your audience in the story if they’ve never been an Olympic athlete or never even skied.
Watch this video as Vince opens his speech and tells his story. Notice the techniques he uses to put the audience in the story.
You only need to watch the first 60 seconds to experience the story.
After listening to that, how do you feel?
Imagine how many times Vince examined his story to change the words to ensure that the audience experienced the story instead of listening from afar. Can you do that with your stories?
The first step is to convert every “I” into “you”. Then tell your story from their perspective.
You might use these phrases to help put the audience in your story:
- Imagine you
- If you were in the room
- Perhaps you’ve been there
- When it happens to you
- How would you feel when
Now you have some ideas, techniques and prompts to put the audience into your stories.
Vince told me that people remember this story because they experienced it.
We remember experiences. You can help the audience remember your story when they experience it.
If you enjoyed this quick experience with Vince Poscente that you will love listening to the podcast interview with him on Your Intended Message here
Put the Audience in your story
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