Anecdotes; a tool for effectively introducing, expressing and concluding a message

Would you like to be understood and memorable when you speak? Use anecdotes.

For more than a decade of speaking in different contexts, I have learnt that this is the most powerful tool in communication.

An anecdote is a short story that could be a recollection of events you witnessed, a tale you heard or a novelle you imagined.

Have you heard of the story of the two little fish that were swimming in water and across them came an older fish swimming in the opposite direction? When she got to them, she stopped and said to the two little fish, “Hello, how is water?” Then immediately swam away.

After she left the two little fish looked at each other and asked themselves, “What on earth is water?”

The story’s moral lesson is that sometimes we’re unaware of our very state of being. This is an example of an anecdote I could use when discussing self-awareness.

If people forget statistics, outlines and theories, they will surely remember a story well told with brevity

In your next presentation, I hope you remember to tell stories, paint and imprint a memory in your audience’s mind as introduce, explain and conclude your message.

Next, we shall be learning the art of storytelling in-depth, however, tomorrow we’re going to look at how to use quotes to communicate better. Check here for more