TED Talks Storytelling
by Akash Karia
– The magic ingredient to making a TED talk is storytelling. Stories allow you to get your idea across to people without appearing you are lecturing them.
– The opening of the speech is super important. If you do not grab your listeners attention in the first 30 seconds of your speech, they will tune out. Open your speech with a story. Introductory remarks such as “hello, my name is, I’m glad to be here”, etc., are boring. Dive straight into a story – that is one of the greatest techniques of getting people hooked into your message.
– Stories take people on the mental journey. Stories are hardwired in our brain. Any audience cannot resist a well told story even if they try.
– A story without a conflict is not a good story. The conflict will make you think or wonder what is about to happen, put you on the edge of your chair and get you guessing at where the story is going. If there is no suspense, if everyone knows where you are going with the story, it is not a good story. When you arouse your audience’s emotions, they will have no choice but to be totally hooked in your story.
– Use personal stories. Do not just tell a story that you have heard, share a story of a personal experience that happened to you. If it is something that really happened to you, you will not have to practice or fake certain gestures, because they will be natural to you since it is your story.
– Engaging an audience is more than just giving information, it is creating a mental image in their mind. People remember how you looked and how you said it and they will likely be changed by it. Sharing a story is much more than simply telling, it is showing. Sharing information with your audience creates a mental picture of how the characters in your story look.
– There are five senses that we use to connect with the world. By using more senses in your story, it is more memorable. Use the five senses and your speech:
V – visual. They visualize what you are saying. Are you giving details so they can see it?
A – auditory. What you can hear.
K – kinesthetic. Positions and movements. Physically or emotionally.
O – olfactory. Sense of smell… make them feel they can smell it by how descriptive you are.
G – gustatory. What can they taste from your speech. As a result of using the senses, your speech will be remembered and embedded in the minds of your listeners.
– In order to turn your speech into a movie for your listeners, provide as many details as possible. Give specific details. Non-specific details will not paint a picture in peoples minds.
– The spark. The spark is the point in the message that gives hope, where the story changes and inspires. The spark is what caused the person to change and be inspired to do whatever he/she did.
– There should be characters in your story.
– There should be a conflict in your story.
– There should be a change in the story.
– There should be a Takeaway for the listeners. What is the point of your story? What do you want the people to remember? Make the key of your story into a short memorable or catchy phrase.
– No conflict = no curiosity = no interest.
– Leave your audience with and on an emotional high, on a high point of the story.