photo by JoeyChong, flickr artist

one of the most important communication tools is storytelling. we tell stories to entertain. we tell stories to enlighten.  stories help us in so many ways.

here are just a few ways that you should use stories to help achieve your goals…

tell stories in your presentations!
when you have presentations, nothing drives home your point(s) better than stories. always build up to something. lay the foundations for the information you’re talking about. show the progression and how one idea builds upon the other, then — in the end — bring it all together.  ”here we take a look at the individual units. next, we’re able to compare the information for those units for a single point in time. now that we have information for one point in time, we can combine those points to create a trend and forecast out the future.” create a commentary and find a voice track that supplements and enhances your story. and above all else, use metaphors! there’s no better way to introduce a concept that’s foreign and may make no sense to someone than through relating that information to a concept they do know.

more after the jump! Read the rest of this entry »