We have all been there, whether it’s at a conference, an event or even the all-staff Town Hall. At first, it feels slightly awkward; the nerves of the presenter clearly visible. Everyone hopes it’s just the pressure of the moment and it will soon pass. But as time goes on, it is abundantly clear that this is going to be an uncomfortable experience for everyone, writes communications expert David Fish, author of What it Takes to Create Winning Presentations.

One of the most overlooked and misunderstood areas of public speaking lies in the preparation. Your confidence and ability to deliver as a presenter start long before you stand up to present– and no, it isn’t just about endless practice. The most important aspect that gets so easily lost lies in the structure of what you are presenting – something that provides the very foundation of your delivery.

How you prepare the flow of your story, what you choose to share on-screen, exactly what each slide contains – and how all of this lands your key points – is where confidence building truly begins. There are three critical elements to becoming a confident strategic storyteller.

Three elements of strategic storytelling

Prepare your story: There is confidence in clarity

Your preparation begins by establishing precisely who this information is for and what matters to them. You need to know how what you are sharing addresses one very important topic: How does it help shift their current reality to a better place? In short, what problem are you here to solve? Right up front, you need to be clear on the overall change you see as possible for this specific audience.

Having this level of clarity from the outset will enable you to organise your content in a way that your audience feels they are an intrinsic part of this story. You know exactly what they need, you share a view of what’s possible, and they want to go on this journey with you.

When it is clear to you, as a speaker, why this presentation matters, you increase your confidence in the value of your message and can more clearly demonstrate why this matters to your audience.

Narrative structure

Storytelling is one of the most powerful communication techniques available simply because our brains are wired to store and recall information in this way – from the simplest update to a detailed sales presentation. Psychologist Professor Jonathan Haidt describes the human mind as a ‘story processor, not a logic processor’.

This means that forming a flowing narrative can benefit the presenter as much as the audience, as it is far easier to recall your key points when they are organised into a story. This helps to prompt you as to what comes next, as well as to control the flow of information and manage the pace. Forming a narrative is achieved by capturing the key points you need to make within a three-stage story arc:

1. Establish the premise of the story upfront and outline why this is relevant to this audience to draw them in for the journey ahead.
2. Layout how you navigate from the problem to resolution, ensuring a logical, flowing connection between each key point you want to land.
3. Resolve the story with a conclusive ending that cements the change you see as possible and clarifies what comes next.

Your narrative is not your script, it is not the full unabridged story in all its glory. No, you are adding just enough detail to make it clear what the main points of your story are and, critically, how these flow from beginning to end.  Just like a movie storyboard, it captures the story’s key points and identifies what happens at each stage.

Controlling the information flow in a story

 Armed with your overarching narrative, you can now ensure the most important points in each section and on each slide are the most prominent before unpacking what sits underneath in the most logical and obvious way possible. This is about layering the content and signposting at all times to support clear navigation through the presentation.

The slide headings have a key role in this, and they alone should be enough to tell your story. They help you present and keep the audience engaged and should never be wasted on pointless vagaries like Our Approach or Latest Data. Instead, signpost the most important statistic within the data and use the headline to call out how it fits within your story flow.

The goal is to have slides that are easy to understand and impossible to misinterpret for both you and the audience.

A slightly underconfident presenter with a well-structured story will always outperform a confident presenter who’s lost in the details.  Confidence starts with clarity in the value of the message and continues with the development of a story narrative that informs how to control the flow of information. Together, these support you to confidently deliver a compelling and engaging story, whatever the speaking arena.

Now read this

https://www.kochiesbusinessbuilders.com.au/how-to-use-visual-thinking-transform-presentations/