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The Difference Between Presenting and Telling A Story

Used by permission of Rick King, PreFlight Ventures

excerpted from The Art of Telling Your Story:

Tips & Insights for Putting Your Best Foot Forward with Investors and Corporate Partners 

• Mediocre presenters drain energy from an audience. In contrast, storytellers engage and energize a room;
• You must think of yourself as “sharing a story with people” rather than “giving a presentation.” A presentation is a one-way lecture as opposed to an interactive, fun experience that people will remember;
• It is also helpful if you view the audience as people you like and whom you want to help. Unfortunately, most presenters feel distant from the audience and see the situation as “them versus us.”

Have you ever told a bedtime story to a child? You spoke in a way, and even acted it out, such that the child felt like part of the story. To keep the child’s interest and to make it fun, you wove fact with fantasy and asked questions. You also expressed a variety of emotions and varied the volume and inflection of your voice. And you showed passion and probably even had fun. In storytelling, you are involved in weaving a story together and enjoying it. More importantly, so is your child (the listener). In the same way, your objective in presenting to investors and other audiences is to engage them so they mentally and emotionally participate in the story of your business. If you create intrigue about your technological solution to a problem that has upside market value, it will draw people in so that they want to hear more.

IN A LIBRARY SETTING:

Presenting                                                                      Telling the Story