How to do a Power of

Storytelling Presentation

TEDWorthy

Tell the story of

your brand,

product, widget,

pitch,

scam…..

Start by talking about yourself. Don’t great stories begin with an author’s autobiography? This should include where you come from, what you do, where you went to school, your first job, your last TED talk, the horrors of flying coach class, the name of your first dog… Linger on your own photo so they remember this moment.

Be sure to talk about your newest book/ software product / company service / and how you think it will help the audience. Act humble.

Objectives

0 To tell you how storytelling can make you better at doing _______________

0 To affirm to you how much I appear to know about it0 To explain how easy it is for anyone to create a

powerful story0 To illustrate how all effective stories begin by telling

you exactly what is in them in a bulleted list format.

How Stories Work

0 Tradition of telling Stories0 Stories and Emotion0 Common Structure of Stories0 The Three Act Structure0 The Importance of Surprise0 Yes, Stories Should Not Give Away What Happens Next0 How George Lucas Based Star Wars Characters on My

Writing!0 Have I Mentioned My New Book?

You must use a photo of a campfire within the first 5 slides (whew that was close) and talk about our timeless tradition. Drop a mention of your last camping trip in some remote part of the world most people in the audience do not have a flying bank vault’s chance of seeing.

All presentations must also include a photo of cave paintings and a reminder of how oral storytelling was the primary means of communicating information and passing on important information. Look out! A Lion is ready to pounce on you. Ha ha ha.

Absolutely, people connect linearly just like a rusty chain.

Stories Link Us Together

Nothing helps introverts and novices overcome performance anxiety like showing a photo of a confident performer. And she looks like she is having so much fun.

Everyone is a storyteller!!

Have I mentioned my other book? It is really relevant. I will say out loud the URL where you can find it, but your chances of writing it down are slim to none. But you should consider finding it.

The Structure of StoriesEvery story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

This is a real surprise to everyone.

Present Freytag’s Triangle, because a diagram shows that something important is being described. Apparently now stories has a lot more parts to them, but no one will call you on that. Refer to points in the tiny text that the audience cannot possible read beyond the second row.

Do not miss out the chance to include a Star Wars reference as the prime example of the three act structure, possibly the only film audiences can relate to. Better if you can include shots of the Millennium Falcon in space. Might as well talk about your experience watching the entire series as a marathon. That is very relevant.

If you are feeling really brave introduce the Hero’s Journey in about 90 seconds. Be careful and do not forget the names of all steps. Invoking Joseph Campbell’s name adds credence to your reputation. It’s not a problem if you confuse them because no one outside of an English teacher can sort them.

Try really hard to explain succinctly how digital storytelling is unique from un-digital storytelling without veering into saying it is telling stories in digital form. Talking in circles is an effective means of reinforcing what you want them to walk away with (a signed copy of that book).

Digital Storytelling

Show a screenshot of video and just describe what happens in it. You cannot trust that PowerPoint will even play it back, and its probably downloaded in some strange file format. Not like motion or sound will help explain it as a digital story.

Include a photo of your own child with technology and describe something they figured out without anyone showing them how to use the device. Nothing inspires adults uncomfortable with their own technological expertise then seeing photos of kids deftly manipulating them.

Allude to a specific series of 3, 5, 7… 29 steps to create a good story. Because every story follows a precise formula. It’s just like making cookies.

One more chance to remind you that I have published many books, quite a few of which are still filling my garage with boxes of unsold titles. I’d really like to be able to park my car in there (and make its payments). I could not cover everything in this presentation, but it might be in my book. Or my next one.

Don’t Bother Giving Credit for the Images

I got them all by googling, which means they are ripe for me to use, and you can google just as well, right?

Make sure you close with a reminder about a campfire. Because that is just about the best metaphor anywhere for how storytelling works.

Just Kidding About The Lack of Photo Attribution

Smart Watch People http://www.hispotion.com/the-im-watch-5013Book Cover II - for sale (COLLAB) http://mirellasantana.deviantart.com/art/Book-Cover-II-for-sale-COLLAB-401037252 Camp fire http://www.rhinoafrica.com/tanzania/arusha/arusha-coffee-lodg eCave Painting http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=102043 Link cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by D-Gernz: http://flickr.com/photos/d-gernz/8599188786/Storyteller cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by Lancaster Litfest: http://flickr.com/photos/litfest/5412498421/ Freytag Pyramid http://teampants.webs.com/freytagspyramid.htm Stars Wars http://andrewss7.deviantart.com/art/Star-Wars-saga-Episode-IV-poster-270508857 Hero's Journey http://markwelch.com/whirligig /Thief II Book Cover for Sale http://taniaart.deviantart.com/art/Thief-II-Book-Cover-for-sale-424351576 Digital Storytelling cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo by Fancy Jantzi: http://flickr.com/photos/jantzi/5386423632/ Child with Phone http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-10128407-39.htmlRecipe http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Recipe.gif Modern Witch Book Cover For Sale http://taniaart.deviantart.com/art/Modern-Witch-Book-Cover-for-Sale-424646966Another Campfire cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo by Julie Herrick: http://flickr.com/photos/jaherrick/245129825/

Of course in tiny print, and not having it on the photo makes it fun to try and find the images!