How do you persuade and engage your network with storytelling?

I have implemented the art of story telling in my teaching. Engaging under graduate and post graduate students in a class of advanced physics or applied physics may not be a very easy task owing to the complexity of the subject and the requirement of fundamental knowledge of the subject by the students. However, over the time, I have learned the method of imparting instructions in the form of a story where I begin with the history, the insights and some trivia related to the particular topic before beginning the main matter. This relaxes the student and makes them develop an interpersonal connection with the topic. In my experience, an efficient story is when the audience are able to relate with it and take it with them even after it ends.

- Do you have tasks that are repetitive that you wish you had time for other tasks? - How do you deal with Repetitive tasks? - If you had time to get to other tasks will this make your day better?

1. Share experiences that the audience can relate to. People are more likely to engage with stories that have a human element, and they often find common ground in shared experiences. 2. People appreciate genuine stories that reflect your true experiences and values. Don't be afraid to share your vulnerabilities or failures along with your successes. 3. Every compelling story involves some form of conflict or challenge that the protagonist must overcome. If you highlight the struggle and the resolution you may evoke emotions to keep your audience engaged.

You need to know your purpose when sharing a story. You need to ask yourself “what is the people supposed to take away from my story?”. Another important thing is that you need to connect with your listeners; stories have the power to connect people. Take pause to watch or understand the story's effect on the other people, they need to absorb what you’re saying. Slow down, you want to take the listener on the same emotional journey that you experienced but remember that it’s not a therapy session! You don’t want your listeners to feel sympathy for you, you want them to feel empathy. Keep the connection going. Every story needs a constant element of mystery to keep the listener engaged.

First of all, WHO are you connected to? Unless you know the answer to that question, you won't know who they are, what they need, or how to help them with your stories, which should always solve a problem, particularly if your long-term goal is to market a product or service.

I think it's very important to not only know your audience but to know their PAIN POINTS. What makes them tick? What makes them FEEL. As an author and a podcaster, I try to find the right TONE that will grab the audiences attention the most and most importantly, RETAIN that attention throughout the presentation. I hope someone out there finds this helpful.

Certainly, effective storytelling for engagement revolves around identifying and addressing audience pain points. Your story should be relatable and demonstrate an understanding of the challenges your audience faces. Use personal, professional, or hypothetical scenarios to illustrate these pain points and their resolution. Incorporate interactive elements to involve your audience, and imbue your narrative with authenticity and personal touch. Ultimately, a great story is not just about events, but about resonating with your audience's experiences and emotions.

Your clients want to see themselves in your story and in your brand. If the story you’re telling is all about you, it may be time to shift your focus. Invest time in social listening, and use those insights to inform the story you will tell to draw your clients in. We all want to feel seen and heard and that takes more than data sets, it takes connection.

Storytelling helps our audience members put themselves in the shoes of our users. When they think from this perspective, they have more information to make a decision that will benefit the user in addition to the business.Communicate stories through compelling research reports. You can incorporate imagery with relevant case studies, charts, and photos from usability tests to give your audience something to connect with beyond words.

Don't be afraid to approach your hook with your own flair. I remember one speech where the orator feigned difficultes while trying to light a cigarette on stage; eventually he all but lit a cigarette on stage while the audience almost all gasped. By subverting the audiences expectations he had their rapt attention. Just remember, ideally, even your hook should help advance your narrative.

-In my personal experience bring my daily routine and the shared previous experiences from previous companies always helped to tell a good story

To deliver with confidence, authenticity is key. It’s easy to loosely use a story to illustrate a point you want or even worse, fabricate some elements to help with the message. However, both of these will lead to you becoming unstuck. If you are authentic with your story and it’s based on lived experiences, your confidence will flow.

I think it's very important to SAY what you MEAN and MEAN what you say. Most people are influenced by people who are confident. Even if they can't execute or haven't executed on what they are telling you to execute on, they still find a way to convince their audience. Work on speech and tonality along with eye contact. Make them FEEL every single word. And always try your best to be creative and don't be scared to try something completely different.

Storytelling is not mere entertainment, but a source of human connection. It's a kaleidoscope of experiences, bridging the gap between minds, humanizing data, and nurturing empathy. With its potential to turn abstract into tangible, past into present, and strangers into friends, storytelling stands as our most profound instrument for crafting a shared narrative in our ever-complex world. Focus on keen observation, broad understanding, and authentic expression to improve. Capture experiences, weave relevance into narratives, and balance facts with emotions. Practicing active listening and empathy can further enhance the resonance of stories . Essentially, storytelling is the art of transforming human experiences into a universal language.