Transcript USING STORIES WITHIN SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS

USING STORIES
WITHIN SPEECHES AND
PRESENTATIONS
A story can enhance your speech!
• Use stories to illustrate points. State the
point in addition to telling the story. Make
the story relevant to the subject.
• Select stories to match the age,
experience, occupation and intelligence of
the audience as well as the nature of the
occasion.
• Space stories at intervals to change pace
and reemphasize your message.
• Tell about your own troubles or stupidity.
Audiences relate to self-effacing humour
because they see themselves mirrored.
• Eliminate inconsequential detail using the
fewest words possible. Write the story to
see what words can be eliminated.
• Keep humourous stories short. The size of
the laugh is inversely proportional to the
number of words used to get to the punch
line. The longer the story, the funnier it
must be.
• Use specifics rather than general words. For
example, say “Lots-of Suds” instead of
“detergent.” Truthful and specific stories
increase audience attention.
• When making a story, use people, things and
places the audience knows. Use language
appropriate to the audience. Example: business
people appreciate business-like language.
Children like colloquial language. Also, choose
the right connotation of words.
• Specify the location of a joke or story.
• Use strong specific nouns, adjectives and
verbs. Example: Don’t say “Her head was
down.” Say “Her head was nodding and
drooping.”
• Learn your stories without memorizing
them word for word. You don’t want to omit
a necessary detail.
• Use facts from your own life. Use
language appropriate to the audience.
Example: business people appreciate
business-like language. Children like
colloquial language.
• Use emotional language to hook the
listener.
• Have a quotation ready that makes the
same point as your story. If you are
running short of time, you can replace the
story with a quick quotation.
• To draw the
audience into your
story use
introductory words
like: “imagine
this”, “Have you
ever had an
experience
where?” or “Let
me take you with
me to.”
• Sometimes you can split your story. Start it
near the beginning of your talk, but don’t
finish it. You will build suspense and
anticipation. Go to the body of your
speech, and then finish your story at the
end of your talk.
• Look in different directions and change
your voice tone to indicate different
characters. Do what the story says. If it
says Joe cleared his throat, clear your
throat at that point.
EXERCISE:
• A) Use a more specific noun to replace these
general nouns:
•
Furniture__________________
Flower______________________
•
Liquid ____________________
Dog ________________________
•
Car_______________________
Musician ____________________
•
Store _____________________
Doctor______________________
• B) Substitute a more precise adjective for the
•
underlined word in each sentence.
•
Don’t eat that awful food._______________
•
She had terrific fingernails. _____________
•
My old car is unsafe. _____________
•
His weird underwear kept him from freezing.
•
___________
•
I like her great haircut. _____________
• C) Substitute a more vivid verb for the
•
underlined verb in each sentence.
•
He used a knife to cut it. _________
•
The animal came out of the woods. __
•
When I fell, my classmates laughed.
•
___________ ____________
D) List more powerful verbs for each sentence to suit the
desired connotation.
• Two boys fought in the hallway.
(Suggest anger)
__________________________________
(suggest playfulness)
__________________________________
•
•
The blonde girl walked down the steps.
(Make her heavy)
____________________________________________
• (Make her shy )
_____________________________________________
• (Make her carefree)
_____________________________________________
• (Make her angry)
____________________________________________
C) Change the following passage to eliminate unnecessary
words, and change weak or general
words to stronger or more specific words.
• My teacher is in the habit of coming to class late, but on Thursday
he got to class on time. He put down his book, and after making a
picture on the board, and putting labels on each part, I saw him give
a look out the window, and then he took his leave of the surprised
class.
•
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