It's all about the story.
That signature piece you're known for that defines you as a speaker and sets you apart.
We're told that over and over as speakers.
It's all about the story.
But nobody tells us how to find the story.
And you can't take someone else's story because aside from it just being rude, it won't wear the same on you.
So how do you find the stories to put into your presentations? And if you say the internet I'm going to smack you.
Let's shoot for a little more originality than that.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Don't over-think it For those who aren't writers, the idea of coming up with a story can bring on a serious sweat.
Because you're over-thinking it.
You're not required to come up with a short story that rivals Shakespeare and doesn't have a word in it under three syllables.
Your story doesn't have to have a complex plot or complicated characters.
In fact, your story doesn't even have to have a beginning and an end.
You can drop down into one moment in time and be just as effective.
So start by changing the way you define story to be anything that is not fact or advice.
Technically, it is a narrative account of an event - true or fictional.
But in this case, let's think of it as anything that uses details, characters and events to become a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Anything that adds a human element to the information you want to share.
It can be an anecdote, a joke, a metaphor, or something your grandmother used to say when she had too many gin and tonics.
Start a Journal I call mine a life journal.
I'm not the first to bring it up and I surely won't be the last.
It's not like a diary where you write down what you had for breakfast and who you hate that day, but a place where you can document the things you see in life.
Every person's journal will be different.
Mine has things I find funny, things that aggravate me, things I don't understand, things that touch my heart and make me wonder, joke and story ideas, and even writing exercises to trigger my imagination.
I have a journal in my car, in my purse, in my bedroom, and still I find myself scrambling to find paper.
Real Life Has More Material Than You Can Ever Make Up It was so freeing when I stopped trying to make up stories and just started looking at life.
I have never turned back.
If you just pay attention and get into the habit of looking for the funny in life (and the other stuff) you won't be able to write it all down in time.
Listen to conversations on the bus.
Watch how people interact.
Pay attention to those times when you're emotions are triggered.
Find places where you can watch people, like the airport or an afternoon wedding in a small southern town.
I get material from the people in my audience who come up to me (or email me later) with ideas to make my shows even funnier.
Recall Past Life Experiences Or maybe just the ones from this life.
Think of your first job, your first car, your first girlfriend.
Imagine what it felt like when you were in first grade or sitting in the car on the side of the road and trying to convince the police officer you're not drunk.
I was sitting with a group of people at a cookout once when the conversation turned to discipline and what things were like when we were growing up.
I ended up with an hour's worth of material just from sitting in on that conversation.
Just Tell It Don't worry about how it sounds or whether it's good enough.
Just tell it - without fanfare.
Don't add a bunch of unnecessary information.
Don't make it longer.
Don't worry about what words you use or how they flow.
Just get in and get out.
List of Things You Have Learned in Your Life When I first began my career in public speaking, I was extremely intimidated by the abundance of talented and highly qualified speakers.
I felt like I didn't have a place in that world.
Everybody kept telling us that we should speak about what we know, and I wasn't sure I really knew anything.
So I actually went home and made a list of things I have learned in my life.
Not from books or courses, but the things I learned the hard way - from experience.
At first I just stared at the blank page trying to decide if I was thirsty or not.
And then I wrote a couple of things that sounded dumb and tore the page up and started over.
It was hard at first.
But once I got started, it got a lot easier and suddenly I couldn't write fast enough.
I thought silly, I thought spiritual, I thought of the things I had learned about love and being a parent and eating chili before taking a spinning class.
In fact, my list is still ongoing.
And when you make this list you need to think about the lessons you have learned.
And you will find that your list will include the messages you have to share with the world.
And that most of them have a story attached.
There are the stories that color your life.
Just start looking.