ANECDOTES AND STORIES

Anecdotes and stories bring presentations to life. They add dimension and perspective to your content, giving your audience a broader context for the information. I pull anecdotes and stories from my own background (as I am doing in this book) and I pull them from other people, carefully recounted and diligently referenced. Even if you are not very experienced, you can do the same. Pay attention to what people say and do, in your workplace as well as in your presentations. Before long, one or two stories becomes a cache of dozens from which you can choose.

Protecting Privacy

As fascinating as are stories and anecdotes, no one likes to think he or she could be the star story at your next presentation. It’s essential to protect the identity and privacy of individuals, companies, and even circumstances. An effective way to do this is to create composites from multiple, similar situations. Such creative liberty does not distract from the power and value of the anecdote and allows you to tailor details to target a particular audience.