Storied-Selling Presentation Skills
Challenge: It’s well-known that the human brain is wired for stories. It’s how we learn, and remember things. We’re not at our best when we speak to “bullets on a slide”. We engage audiences when we improvise with them, bringing the audience into a narrative where their interests are served. Yet, many presenters grow up with bad habits. Slides are built as cheat sheets for the presenter, rather than to delight an audience. Speakers appear without context, failing to clearly establish their role, or connections as a team. Audiences sit passively, looking for an invitation to engage, but are overcome by a “wall of sound”.
Example: FM worked with a team preparing for an important, competitive pitch. Rather than beginning by writing the slides, we began by writing the audience’s story. What did we know about their characters, chief motivating force, and tangible objective? Where was the dynamic tension, unresolved needs and wants? When we understood their story, we answered a few, key questions: “Who are we for them?” How does our story (what is true about us/our solution) connect with their story? What are the key “beats” of this story? What role does each team member play in telling the story? This approach produces more than slides and a “talk track”. It produces relevant, compelling presentations that inspire persuasive dialogue, and interaction.
Application: FM storied-selling training has been successfully applied in “live” presentation settings, helping teams ramp up, and prepare for important engagements. SD has also trained teams in workshop settings, teaching the concepts, and method through hands-on exercises.
Results:
Winning presentations, increasing close rates
Effective “spark” presentations that replace passive “capability pitches”
Talent and team development, improving individual and group skills
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.” - Robert McKee, author, lecturer, teacher