Harness the power of Stories in presentations to help audiences recall your presentation (part 2 of 2)

Harness the power of Stories in presentations to stimulate emotions.

Studies find that memories connected to strong emotions remain vivid in the brain for longer.

Stories may can come to mind years after the event. But memories of dry facts and figures quickly slip away.

We get it… a presentation about your company’s performance doesn’t provide too much scope for emotional stimulation! Or does it?

Using stories in presentations to raise the emotional bar even a little will help keep your slides fresh in memory for longer.

Start your presentation with a story about how a certain problem is relevant. Ideally this is a problem that affects your audience, this way you grab attention and engage with emotions immediately. Using further anecdotes and stories throughout brings each point more vividly to life.

Most presentations incorporate a number of problems, providing ample opportunity for you to build and release tension several times. Again, you may not be a master film director, but even a little raising of the emotional bar will help. (Integrate jokes or surprises into the presentation can help too, but don’t try to do a stand up routine, or dazzle like a trained magician!)

Think about how you’ll finish: the end needs to round off everything, leaving the audience feeling satisfied and clear about what you want them to understand.

Tension, resolution and the element of surprise can all enhance your presentation and ensure that your key messages stay in mind for longer. Tap into those emotions!

We recommend a presentation structure that uses evidence based slides. This slide type is more effective for memory, and also opens the door for you to incorporate more stories in presentations.

Let’s look at an example of this: your presentation will have 3 key messages.

Each key message will take up one whole slide. Following one key message, your next slides should be evidence slides. With a strong headline, they should assert and prove that key message. This is a great opportunity now to add a relevant tangent (forgive the oxymoron). Use stories, make visual illustrations (literal or imaginary) in your presentation. Describe something personal that has happened to you, or to a “friend”. Such techniques add evidence to the key message you are making.

With a clear structure around key messages, you can pop in more stories. And by doing so: refresh your audience’s focus. By changing up the tone, and using a story, the audience get a necessary “break”  and something fresh to listen to. It’s all part of your presentation strategy as a whole. The stories themselves will stimulate emotions, and this is exactly the thing that your audience will remember days, or even weeks, later.

Here at Presented we can help you write and craft your structure, messages and headlines. Just ask!

Using Stories in PowerPoint boosts memory: part 1

TED: 7 story telling techniques – worth a read

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do stories in presentations help with memory retention?

Using stories in presentations helps stimulate emotions, making the content more memorable. Studies have shown that memories linked to strong emotions stay vivid for longer periods, whereas dry facts and figures tend to be forgotten quickly.

Can stories be effectively used in a business performance presentation?

Yes, stories can be effectively used in business performance presentations. Even if the scope for emotional stimulation seems limited, incorporating stories in presentations can raise the emotional engagement slightly, keeping the audience’s attention and making the information more memorable.

How can stories in presentations enhance key messages?

Stories in presentations can enhance key messages by providing relatable examples and anecdotes that bring the points to life. When presenting key messages, follow them with evidence slides that assert and prove the point, then use stories to illustrate and reinforce the evidence, making it more engaging and memorable.

Why is it beneficial to change the tone with stories during a presentation?

Changing the tone with stories during a presentation is beneficial as it provides the audience with a necessary break from the monotony, refreshes their focus, and re-engages their attention. The emotional stimulation from stories helps ensure that key messages stay in the audience’s mind longer, making the overall presentation more effective.