Sign Up, and Discover Your Public Speaking Personality

Name*
First Last
Email*
Are you in or near NYC?*
- Yes
- No

The speech went great, thanks to you!

Chef Marc Murphy Co-Owner, Benchmarc Restaurants; Judge, Chopped

Thank you, thank you, thank you. What a great way to continue our First Friday program series! You were wonderful and left the audience wanting more = success.

Arcola Robinson Program Manager, Brooklyn Public Library's Business & Career Center

Thank you for your passion for supporting others, Jezra. It is inspirational!"

Christina Foti Chief Executive Director, Special Education Office, NYC Department of Education

Thank you so much. I feel like you gave me access to my own power.

Marion Dry Co-Chair, Class ACT HR '73, and Director, Music Performance Program, Music Department, Wellesley College

I think I did great! Thank you for helping me.

Meir Cohen Principal, Cohen Equities

Thanks so much for all your efforts. We are so excited about these [TED-style annual meeting] sessions."

James V. Executive Director, Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrists

Man, you're good! Wish I could keep you in my back pocket!

Anne Loehr Executive Vice President, Center for Human Capital Innovation

I just wanted to thank you for the great job interviewing course. It provides the confidence and perspective we need to give our best interview. Good stuff!

Sheila Doyle Director of Marketing, Medical Devices

In Public Speaking Tip 83, I covered the basic structure of good business stories (they're like good regular stories, with a few twists). Now it's time to create business stories that will work for you. Here's how:
1. Chose the Business Stories You Want to Tell
Notice that I didn't say "choose perfect business stories," or "the world's best business story." Just pick a story to develop and tell, either from your own experience, or borrowing something that you've heard or read.
2. Now, Talk Through Your Story OUT LOUD
The first time you do this, you'll probably sound and feel awkward. (Public speakers call this first time a "stumble-through.") You may have several false starts. You'll probably put in too much detail or too little. But resist the temptation to write down your story and work it out on paper, because what works on paper rarely works in the telling. That's because, like regular stories, business stories are an oral / aural (saying and listening) form of communication. That's why the best way to develop them is by saying them, and listening to how you sound.
3. Everyone's Favorite Part — Practicing
You've stumbled through the first telling of your business story. Now tell it again. It probably sounded a little better than the first time, right? OK, now we're going to break your story down into the three sections we discussed in Tip 83,

The beginning/challenge,

The middle/actions taken, and

The end/positive business outcome.

Each of these sections is important, and each one should get roughly the same amount of time and attention when you tell your story — which is why we're going to...
4. Use the Mix and Match Approach to Practicing
Most people practice a story (or any other kind of public speaking) from beginning to end, beginning to end, beginning to end, beginning to... Unfortunately, you'll get bored with your story fast if you only take one approach to practicing it. So instead, try telling the story's sections in random order. This best practice for practicing will help you:

Keep you on your toes,

Help you to become a more flexible storyteller, and

Give each story section an equal amount of attention.

For the structure wonks among you, there are six possible ways to practice a three-section story; be sure to try at least three of them:

End-Middle-Beginning

End-Beginning-Middle

Middle-End-Beginning

Middle-Beginning-End

Beginning-End-Middle

Beginning-Middle-End

Eventually, you'll be able to jump into your story from any section (or any vantage point) and tell it convincingly. This is a great feeling, and lots of fun.
5. Some Other Tips for Practicing Business Stories
On this site, you'll find many other posts about how to practice, how to be your best self (your "Avatar") while practicing, how to practice in short bursts, and (maybe most importantly) how to have fun while you're practicing. What it boils down to is this: Because you're building muscle memory as well as mental skills, telling your story once every day (or every few days) will get you much better results than practicing for hours on end, once. And now you're ready to...
6. Try Your Story Out on People
You never want your first telling of a high-stakes story to be with the people you're trying to influence. So practice your story on trusted friends and colleagues, and ask them for specific, constructive, feedback. Don't expect that feedback to be technical ("your build-up to the payoff was a little rushed"). Instead, listen for where the story did and didn't work for them ("I loved how you described the two people, but I wanted you to take a little more time with the ending."). If this feedback makes sense to you, try different ways of strengthening your story's weak points. Then practice until the new version of your story has replaced the old one in your mind.
Your Business Stories Will Get Better and Better
Don't get discouraged if it takes a minute to get the hang of telling business stories. The more you do it, the more you'll:

Get comfortable,

Relax,

Discover new ways to tell your stories, and

Actually start having fun when you tell them.

Remember: Like fine wines, good business stories get better with age! [caption id="attachment_12689" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image by Kit Maloney[/caption]

Buy 100 Top Public Speaking Tips: The Book!

In 25 years of speaker coaching, I've helped my individual speaker coaching clients develop their strengths and skills to become authentic and effective communicators. Along the way, I've developed tips for everything from small talk to speaking up in meetings, from managing fear to making an impact. And now, I've shared it all in 100 Top Public Speaking Tips: The Book. This beautifully designed PDF booklet is searchable, clickable, and categorized, so that you can find what you need, instantly.

Kit Hall, CFRE Director of Development, American Psychiatric Association Foundation

Thank you for the marvelous training on managing a Zoom group meeting. Last week I facilitated my first ever group Zoom session. I felt prepared, empowered and confident, and I have you to thank for that.

Sandra Zimmer Public Speaking Coach, Author of "It's Your Time to Shine"

1. Chose the Business Stories You Want to Tell

2. Now, Talk Through Your Story OUT LOUD

3. Everyone's Favorite Part — Practicing

4. Use the Mix and Match Approach to Practicing

5. Some Other Tips for Practicing Business Stories

6. Try Your Story Out on People

Your Business Stories Will Get Better and Better

Buy 100 Top Public Speaking Tips: The Book!