The Storyteller

I just finished reading Isabel Allende's The Sum of Our Days, a book I have been reading for many weeks but took me forever to finish. Not because it was not interesting. On the contrary. So many times I had to put it down because of the emotions it evoked, as I could hear Isabel's voice telling me her stories...so beautifully woven together, unravelling themselves than intertwining again. I am lucky to have watched her on TED some time ago, thus truly allowing me to hear her voice as I read this latest book.

Recently I found myself greatly disturbed by a presentation given at one of our training sessions. The presenter had prepared a series of short stories (anecdotes? jokes?) that were then read out when they appeared on the screen. None of the stories had any relevance to the topic being presented, and before each of them was read out the presenter told the audience that it was time for a story so that the audience would pay attention to the presentation.

When asked why the presenter felt it was necessary to inject the presentation with such irrelevant interruptions, somewhat indignantly we were told that "this is how it is supposed to be". That according to a certain formula, every four minutes or so the audience needed stimulation. Therefore, the presenter interpreted this stimulation to be in the form of a story that was meant to make us laugh, to entertain us. 

I believe that a presentation should be like a conversation between the presenter and the audience. The presenter needs to deliver a story that engages the audience, and takes them on a journey. Whether or not a joke is necessary or some kind of illustration is needed cannot be predetermined. A good presenter is a storyteller who observes the audience and listens to them with her body and all of her senses. A good storyteller does not treat her audience like idiots, period. Nor does she make assumptions of what they may or may not understand to the point of insulting them with slides that are filled with lines and lines of words that are then read out to them as if they do not know how to read.

Besides, why read something to them? You are there to speak to them. If you do not want to speak to them, then just print out your presentation and have them read it for themselves. Never use your presentation as a substitute for you. You've showed up. More importantly, they showed up. So tell your story. And tell it well.

I am lucky to have amazing resources to refer to. Garr Reynolds and his www.presentationzen.com website is an endless source of knowledge and inspiration. I have bought his book twice now, and may very well end up buying it many times again. More recently I bought with much excitement a new book titled Slideology... and found out that some of my presentations can be firmly classifed as (gulp...blush) "cheesy." I think I will have to buy this book many times over as well.

TED of course continues to be a source of real life examples of how presentation should or should not, can or cannot be made; with or without slides, props, music, and so on and so forth.

I am a firm believer in the ability of each and every person to tell a good story. Which means that when it comes to presentations, we also can do a much better job than many of us do. If anything, out of respect to those who have bothered to listen, to yourself for having a story to tell, and just as importantly to the story that is waiting to be told.