It’s a familiar image. A lone person on a stage in a crowded, hushed room. Big or small, the size of the room doesn’t matter, the audience is captivated by the speakers every word. In the background, simple, striking images flash across the screen, transporting the audience to a different time and place, allowing them to step into the shoes of someone else. Great speakers use stories to convey their message, provoke emotions, identify important ideas, and connect a room full of strangers. That’s the power of storytelling.

After the presentation is over, the room buzzes with excitement. People feel exhilarated as if they uncovered buried treasure together and are excited to share their new findings or employ new techniques discovered. The point is, storytelling is a very powerful tool. Many of today’s executives use storytelling to inspire and influence their workforce to work towards a common vision. Which is no easy feat whether you have a company of 10 or 10,000.

Vu Ngo, President of C3 Insight Group, shared with our Tech Data Cloud team, why storytelling is so important and challenged us to start using this killer business skill. Check out his video and take the challenge!

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At the end of the day, we are talking about making connections and relating with people, whether they are customers, executives, or peers. Depending on what your job is, chances are you have had to appeal to an audience at some point. Sometimes connecting your audience can be difficult, but one thing pretty much everyone can understand is human emotion. You might notice yourself tearing up over what you later find out is a soup commercial. Don’t even get me started on the diaper commercials (just me?). Those brands are appealing to common experiences that people have experienced and look back on fondly. Surely a warm bowl of tomato soup or a relaxing cup of tea can help you relive that moment again, right?!

While storytelling in advertising is a well-known tool, it can be applied in other areas of business. Find the familiar emotion/experience/goal and use it to help articulate your vision. Before you start:

• Figure Out the Goal. If you’re truly using storytelling as a business skill, we are trying to achieve something at the end of the day. Figure out what your audience’s goal is and where it intersects with your goals. Understanding what resonates with your audience and what they are focused on. All is lost if you cannot appeal to that.

• Tell Your Audience What’s in It for Them. This is an easy one that a lot of people know, it can get lost in the speeds and feeds of what you or your product can deliver. What’s in it for them should be at the forefront, but also what problem does that solve as a whole?

• Connect on a Human Level. Although this goes back to the “what’s in it for them” conversation.  What will your product do to simplify, enable, support the life they dream of having, the business they dream of growing.

• Practice Is a Must, but Don’t Overdo It! ! Sounding over rehearsed and memorized like a robocall could lose your audience quick. However, keeping a natural tone and practicing your story out loud ensures sure you have a clear beginning, middle, and an end. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck in a meandering story with no end or meaning insight.

• Be Authentic. Your story has to help relate your audience to the real you, if you want to make any real impact and connection.

Ok. Down to brass tacks. Here are 4 tips you can use to masterfully weave in a compelling story in your presentation that will captivate your audience:

1. Set the Stage with a Story. If you’ve seen a TEDTalk, you know there’s usually a pretty stellar story prepared right at the beginning. It sets the tone for the whole talk. It grabs people’s attention, which is so important as technology is draining our attention spans by the minute. Also, extra points for intertwining your story throughout your presentation. Keep your audience engaged till the very end.
2. Put Your Numbers or Statistics in Context. Too many numbers and you might start seeing too many glazed over eyes. Adding a compelling story to illustrate the impact of the numbers you are presenting could not only be helpful for landing your vision, but make you a superstar in a world where death by PowerPoint is prevalent.
3. Capture Attention by Painting a Picture of the Future. Anytime the future looks blurry or unsure could be a great opportunity to share a story that highlights a similar situation, the pitfalls, and the wins. Pitching a new idea/product or implementing companywide changes are good examples where people need to connect to be successful. Use storytelling to create empathy for their fears or concerns and identify a solution that give a sense of direction and confidence.
4. Consider Customer Testimonials. Get someone else to tell your story. If you cater to a healthcare space you could potentially talk about how your services simplifies processes and allows healthcare professionals tend to more patients. That’s a hypothetical situation, but just an example of an impactful way to connect with customers. Check out our page or start your own.

Creating that significant connection with those around you is an important part of forming meaningful relationships within the business world. Being personable and intentional, ensures that you will be successful in forming those necessary connections and loyal partners and advocates. So what’s your story?