DON'T REPORT; TRANSPORT!

It's common when telling a story to do just that...TELL the story.

However, there are several simple techniques which, when used well, can significantly enhance your audience's experience. Today, I'll take a brief look at what I call the TRANSPORT PRINCIPLE and show an easy application. The idea is to not just re-tell the story (REPORT) but re-live it (TRANSPORT.)

Here's an example. Let's say you're telling a story about hectic holiday travel. Now that's an experience to which we all can relate, wouldn't you agree? You could begin thus:

"It was almost 10:45pm on New Year's Eve. My extended family had all gathered at my house to welcome the new year. It was a tradition that we'd kept for 17 years...and I was running late.

My plane had landed almost two hours after the scheduled arrival, and I was in a hurry to get to my car for the hour-long drive home. Just my luck, the airport parking shuttle took forever, and it seemed like everybody had decided to use airport park-and-ride that day. Didn't anybody use Uber or Lyft any more?"

I'll stop there.

The story so far is credible and relatable, but it's still being REPORTED. So how do we TRANSPORT instead?

Change the TENSE, change the experience.

TRANSPORT THE LISTENER INTO THE PRESENT

By simply changing the tense from PAST to PRESENT, you bring your audience into the story, and they can share the experience with you; and you can do this with just a few carefully chosen words, starting with "PICTURE THIS." That simple phrase invites the audience to join you, and now they aren't watching from afar; they're right beside you.

Here's what I mean:

"Picture this. IT'S almost 10:45pm on New Year's Eve. My extended family HAVE all gathered at my house to welcome the new year. It IS a tradition that WE'VE kept for 17 years...and I AM running late.

My plane HAS landed almost two hours after the scheduled arrival and I'M in a hurry to get to my car for the hour-long drive home. Just my luck, the airport parking shuttle IS TAKING forever, and it SEEMS like everybody HAS decided to use airport park-and-ride TODAY. DOESN'T anybody use Uber or Lyft any more?"

You get the idea! You've transported them into the scene, and they have a different perspective.

But wait! You can take it a step further! You can put your audience in the story and make it theirs...and you can begin to do that with the single word 'IMAGINE.' Then, use the words YOU, YOUR, YOURS and variations thereof to make the story about your audience.

"Imagine. IT'S almost 10:45pm on New Year's Eve. YOUR extended family HAS all gathered at YOUR house to welcome the new year. IT'S a tradition that YOU'VE kept for 17 years...and YOU ARE running late.

YOUR plane HAS landed, BUT IT'S almost two hours after the scheduled arrival and YOU ARE in a hurry to get to YOUR car for YOUR hour-long drive home. Just YOUR luck, the airport parking shuttle IS TAKING forever, and it SEEMS like everybody HAS decided to use airport park-and-ride TODAY. DOESN'T anybody use Uber or Lyft any more?"

Now your audience's experience has changed even more. They aren't just with you; they ARE you. Your story has become THEIR story.

With two tiny tweaks, you have transported the audience into the story and made it theirs.

SO, HERE'S MY ASK.

As you prepare your next story...or revisit a previous story...look for ways to TRANSPORT your audience into the story, elevate their experience, and make it UNFORGETTABLE.

#presentationcoach #keynotespeaker #communicationskills #publicspeaking #peakperformance