10.2. Help the audience build the story you tell

In the end, it’s the listener’s job to build the story. All you provide is the necessary information, tailored to the perspective and preconceptions of your audience. In doing so, you shape the experience so that the story that emerges in the group is a shared story, not a dozen or more wildly different versions.

It’s a careful balancing act: The more you allow the people to build their own story around the structure and details you provide, the more engaged they are in their story. If you give them too much data, too many facts and details, they have nothing to do and will likely be bored. If you give them too little to work with, they may start building a story that is very different than the one you have in mind, which could cause disruption and annoyances in a presentation.