Know your audience.
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Use things you’ve always done to reinforce your story – gestures, expressions, turns of phrase.
Be believable. Look for ways to pull the listener into your story. Use what they expect, and twist it. For example: “You remember how Dad loved to dress well. Well, even when he couldn’t carry on much of a conversation, he still wanted to hear you say he looked good.” |
Start with a hook.
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Use a formula opening, if need be, to set a tone.
For example, cCreate the mood of a fairy tale to frame a reality. “Once upon a time, in a world far away, there lived a girl who yearned for a boring life…” |
Keep moving.
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Keep your listeners yearning to know what’s coming next.
For example, use repetition (the rule of three): “And then … and then … and then finally, …” |
Leave out the details.
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If you put a gun on the wall, so to speak, you must make it go off in the story.
Your listeners need to have it all add up. Catch yourself going off on a tangent. Say something like “but that’s another story.” Get back on track. |
Show don’t just tell.
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Use posture and gesture and facial expression to emphasize, dramatize, engage.
Make eye contact. Connect with your listeners. |
The ending is your payoff.
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Know where you’re going, and finish!
Practice delivering your punchline in different ways to see whether you’re getting the effect you want. Try something formulaic, such as these ritual closings:
Or invent it, such as: “Forever and ever. Amen” |
Practice your timing
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After you deliver the punchline pause and count to 3. Let your listeners get it.
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Don’t hang around.
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Once you deliver the punch line, that’s it!
“Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt) |