My wedding day was one of the best days of my life, because I got to do two things I never thought I’d be able to do:
- Get married! (I was already over 40 – let’s face it, statistics weren’t in my favor); and
- Dance with my father, while his Alzheimer’s was still in an early enough stage that he could appreciate and celebrate the day as much as I did.
I shared that experience last week, when I had the privilege of running a workshop on storytelling for Bringing Hope Home, a beautiful non-profit founded by Paul Isenberg, that provides financial and emotional support for families experiencing the awful challenges of cancer. (Check out Paul’s earlier interview on the Speaking to Influence Podcast too!)
To kick off the day, I shared that story of our father-daughter dance, along with a few of my favorite photos of the moment, and some of an earlier conversation I’d had with dad to decide what song we would dance to. His request: the classic, “Daddy’s Little Girl,” by Al Martino.
How could I say no?
Having never told that story to anyone in the years since the wedding – much less with pictures – I got momentarily choked up in the middle. (And I confess, I got a little misty even writing it here.) But fortunately, my audience was right there with me, so we all took a breath together and continued with the story and the rest of the program.
As we transitioned into the core of the training program, I asked, “Reflecting on the last few minutes, how many of you can say that at some point, you temporarily forgot about everything else that’s going on in your life, because you were completely engrossed in the story?”
Every hand went up.
That’s the difference between reciting facts and details of a story, and reliving the experience with the audience.
When you relive the story, you transport your audience back to that time and place with the sights and sounds, smells and textures, thoughts and feelings of the moment.
In other words, you don’t just share information, you create an experience for them. Facts and ideas are forgettable, but experiences stay with you.
A well-told story literally puts the audience into a light state of hypnotic trance (which is how we “lose ourselves” in books, movies, concerts and more.)
The importance of creating an experience for your audience is exactly what Dr. James Smith, Jr., focused on in this week’s episode of the Speaking to Influence podcast. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I don’t usually invite independent experts and consultants to be guests on the show, but this time I had to make an exception.
The importance of creating an experience for your audience is exactly what Dr. James Smith, Jr., focused on in this week’s episode of the Speaking to Influence podcast. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I don’t usually invite independent experts and consultants to be guests on the show, but this time I had to make an exception.
Dr. James is an advocate and incoming president for the National Speakers Association (NSA) in Philadelphia, as well as an author, trainer, speaker and coach in his own right. So naturally, as two people who love to be on stage and teach others to master what I like to call the Three C’s (Command the room, Connect with the audience, and Close the deal,) we dove into what public speaking is really all about.
Listen in as Dr. James reveals best practices for hypnotic storytelling, and how he brings his audience physically, emotionally, mentally into the story as he relives it. Together, we shared tons of tips, experiences, challenges and secrets to success regarding the experience we want our audience to have when they are listening to us and how to achieve it.
And for the record, don’t dismiss this as only being relevant for “touchy-feely moments” like the one I shared above; it’s every bit as relevant when you’re trying to “tell the story of the data” when looking at market projections, for example. That makes all the difference between giving a generic (forgettable) presentation and creating a (memorable) experience.
Listen to the conversation here or watch it on YouTube here.
OH – and listen to the end when Dr. James shares how you can get a FREE COPY of his book, The No Excuse Guide to Success (No Matter What Your Boss or Life Throws at You). Not just a chapter – the whole awesome book!
PLUS: If you want to be a more compelling speaker and influential leader, you have another opportunity to join us live! Dr. James is returning as my guest, this time on LinkedIn Live, THIS Friday March 4th from 12:15-1:15pm, to discuss The Authenticity Myth: Separating Fact from Fiction.
Yes, of course we’ll record the conversation in case you want to listen afterwards, but we’d love to have you join us live to ask your most burning questions in real time!
The art and science of creating meaningful, unforgettable experiences is one you can’t afford to overlook if you want to maximize your results. With some expert tips and a little practice, you’ll be amazed at the difference.
