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If you truly want to reach your audience, you must be able to tap into their emotions. Delivering reams and reams of data will bore your audience to tears, so you must use something else.

The easiest way to convey emotion in a speech is an often overlooked technique: tell a story. If you've ever heard good professional speakers, you know they use this technique all the time.

You can tell a personal story, a story you heard, or a story you read about. All of these types of stories can be helpful and useful in their own right. However, the most effective story will be your personal story.

When using stories, remember these points:

• Use as many personal stories as possible. The reason for this is that noone has ever heard your stories before you speak. Your personal stories will always provide a perspective that your audience has never heard before. However, if you use stories that are not your own, there is a good chance that someone else may have used that story.

  When I first started speaking, I was told that I should use examples to illustrate my points. I participated in a speech contest and in my speech, I used the story of Colonel Sanders as an example of perseverance and attitude. I placed well in the contest, but I didn't win.

  While I was at the event, I bought the CD of a previous champion where he discussed ways to prepare a speech for a contest. At some point, he said, “Use only personal stories, since most other stories have been overused. For example, if I hear the Colonel Sanders story ONE MORE TIME I'll scream!” I now know why I didn't win that contest!

  Your audience also will better relate to a personal story than to the story of someone else. We all identify better with someone who tells stories that are likely to happen to us also.

• Use stories to convey emotion. Emotion doesn't mean that people have to cry. Emotion can be joy, surprise, anger, disgust, sadness. Any reaction you get out of your audience is a manifestation of an emotion. Of course, you might want to keep boredom at bay! Use stories for that.

  For example, I recently had to go buy something at the grocery store and as I was leaving, I overheard three teenage girls discussing. One of them said to the others, “You know what my goal in life is?” As I heard that, I thought to myself, “Yes! Another youngster with great dreams!”

  And she explains, “My goal is to come here one day without my car, so I don't have to drive, and then get drunk on wine samples!”

  Maybe you find this story disheartening and disturbing. Maybe you find it funny. Maybe you find it sad. Nevertheless, it probably evoked some kind of emotional reaction in you. Depending on what I am trying to illustrate, I can use this story to tap into a given emotion. You can use your stories in a similar fashion.

• Anchor your facts with a story. Your audience will remember your points better if you tell a story to accompany them. That is the reason I used two stories to accompany my two previous points!

Whenever you speak to an audience, your main goal is to connect with them as easily and as quickly as possible. By using and perfecting the art of storytelling, you give yourself the best tool to ensure your audience understands and remembers what you have to say.

This technique can and should be used in any type of speech: technical, motivational, business, or entertaining. No matter who is in your audience, they will always appreciate a great story.

So make your next speech a success and tell it with a story.

© Laurent Duperval