By Jill Kurtz
Online Career Tips Contributor
Information that is shared as a story tends to stay with listeners and readers better than straight sharing of the facts. This is a tough reality for me, as every English teacher I have ever had will tell you that I have no gift for storytelling.
So how do those of us without a natural flair for storytelling succeed?
Connecting with audiences to provide information they need and being personal at the same time is a great formula for effective communication. People are reading your content to find something of value and telling them a relevant narrative is the perfect way to connect with them, but only if your content is helping them solve a problem.
Here’s a checklist to make sure your stories are helping your readers:
- The story or personal experience shared illustrates information that is important to the listener or reader (it’s not about you)
- Frame things around what is important to the person you are trying to reach
- The use of “I” is well-balanced with references to “you” and “we”
There’s no better way to strengthen your storytelling skills than by giving it a try, gauging reaction, and doing it some more. Improvement comes with practice.
It also helps to dissect the great stories you come across. When you read something that really resonates, analyze how it is done. Does it follow the three checklist items above? What else makes it effective? Build your own checklist based on the great examples you find.
With a little research and practice, you will be a better storyteller in no time.
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