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  Why tell stories? In fact, you might be wondering to yourself, what is the point of telling a story? Well, that’s the point exactly. If you are wondering why you should tell a story to make your point, then there is a good chance your audience is probably also wondering what the point is of the story you are telling. I’m Dawn Jones and in order to make this point, let me tell you a story.

  STORY AND TRUTH

  There was once an old man who was on an expedition. He traveled for weeks, for months - in fact, it seemed like he traveled a lifetime, as he was tired and weary.

  One day he came upon an unknown, yet familiar town. As he walked with anticipation through the inviting entrance of the city, he saw a homestead with a glowing sign on the door that read “Welcome.” Parched with thirst, he longed for refreshment.

  He ventured toward the door of the homestead and knocked. The door wasn’t even opened but instead, just off to the side, from a corner window, a woman peeled back the curtain to sneak a peek to see who was there. As soon as she saw his face, she abruptly turned away and quickly shut the curtain— yelling through the door for him to go away.

  This happened to him at several homes and even some businesses—at times some people were polite, while other times, it got worse, in fact—some people would open the door foully yelling “GO AWAY OLD MAN—GET OUT OF HERE!!” Then rudely slam the door in his face!

  Dismayed and discouraged, he decided to take a rest at the local park where he could see the city from a safe distance. He came upon a well-worn bench and as he sat there, he looked out into the distance where he saw a younger man coming through the entrance of that city.

  This young man stood tall and confident—full of energy and enthusiasm. He too had traveled to the homesteads and businesses that the old man had traveled; only he was received with open arms and welcomed in—“Come in” they would say; “have a seat,” “stay a while!” This young man seemed to have it all together, but something was missing, as after a short time, he too was asked to leave. Even though this young man was causing so much of a hubbub in the city, he became overwhelmed and exhausted; so he too decided to escape to the park on the edge of the city.

  As the young man came into the park, he approached the bench where the old man was sitting and asked if he could join him. The old man said yes and stretched out his hand to greet him saying “my name is JT,” the young man reached his hand out and said “my name is JS”. Curiously, JS asked what JT stood for and the old man replied “Just Truth, but no one wants to hear me as they seem to get bored, tune out and stop listening”. JS responded “my name stands for ‘Just Stories’ and people love listening to me—but after time, they too seem to get bored, tune-out and stop listening”. At that point an old woman with long white hair and a long flowing coat unexpectedly appeared and approached the two men; her name was SW which stood for Simply Wisdom. Suddenly, both men realized what they had been missing on their journeys.

  This seemingly serendipitous story was obviously no accident; for in order for someone to find wisdom in your ideas, there must be a balance of young, fresh stories wrapped around age old truth. For a story without truth everyone will enjoy for the moment and soon forget, whereas unvarnished truth rubs people the wrong way.
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  Why should you bring stories into your presentations? Five reasons:

  1. To make a point
  2. To teach someone
  3. To show vulnerability
  4. To establish credibility
  5. To inspire people

  Anyone can tell a story, what makes you memorable is not just telling a story, but rather telling a great story. Here are four principles you can apply to turn your average story into a great story.

  PRINCIPLE 1: Your Introduction

  This is crucial. What you say to draw your audience in establishes the point you are about to make and will determine if your listener will continue to listen in or start to tune out.

  PRINCIPLE 2: Believe the Story

  If you don’t believe your story, no one else will either. While you are telling the story you can picture it in your mind as your words are painting the description of what you are seeing. You have got to see it, feel it, taste it, touch it, smell it and make those words come to life so that your audience will believe what you are saying.

  PRINCIPLE 3: Delivery

  How you deliver will draw your audience in or push them away. Are you inviting them in to come on a journey with you, to listen, to go somewhere, to explore something? Are you willing to sound and look a little bit different in your tone, tempo, body language and voice inflections in order to draw your listener in and engage them in your story?

  PRINCIPLE 4: Infrastructure

  There must be infrastructure in place in order for your listener to understand where you are taking them. There must be a beginning, middle and an end. I learned in Toastmasters years ago - tell people what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them. When you tell them what you are going to tell them, this is the headline, the introduction, the why should they listen and the ‘what’s in it for me factor’. Then go into the details of what you are telling them. As you are going into the details you are exploring each point in a linear, sequential manner. You are painting a picture – point 1, point 2, point 3 – then you are moving to the next point. Once you have finished your story, you tell your listener a quick recap of what you have just told them. Then remember transitions, or as I like to say, your pivots. How does that tie in to the next point that you are about to give them?

  So, again, the four basic principles are: 1. Your introduction, 2. Your believability, 3. Your delivery and 4. The infrastructure you have in place. Let’s tie these four principles into telling stories. The first story I gave you was to cover our first point which was to make a point. The second one is to teach people. If you are teaching someone how to be a team member and telling them why something was important you might start with a scenario such as:
• About the Author
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  Dawn Jones has had an exemplary career as a high-powered professional. She is an international speaker, corporate trainer and business leader. After more than 19 years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience, she knows the secrets to success inside out.

  As a professional speaker, Dawn is passionate about helping people reach their goals and live their dreams; as well as helping them discover the essentials of communicating for results, building self-esteem, and unlocking their paths to success.

  Her fast-paced delivery, sprinkled with impacting stories and anecdotes, makes her one of the most stimulating and sought-after speakers in her specialty areas. Dawn addresses eager audiences both LIVE and on audio. Her corporate travels have taken her to Australia, New Zealand, England, and across North America. Her recently published recordings include “Taking Control of Time and Priorities and Organizing Your Work and Life,” as well as “Conflict Management Skills for Women.”

  In her free time Dawn travels with her husband to East Africa where they volunteer with non-profit groups to help build a hope and a future for the next generation.

  More than a theorist, Dawn has put her insights and methods to the test over and over in real-life situations both professionally and personally. They are easy to implement. They work. And when combined, they create a concrete road map people can use to triumph over obstacles in their life and achieve their goals.

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