EYN#051: I`m Just Not That Interesting

"But, I`m not that guy down the pub with all the brilliant stories."

I was working with some brilliant people that have to present some pretty dry topics. Very important topics. Crucial-that-the-audience-understand-them topics. But dry topics none the less.

The problem is that if the content is dull, people won't listen, won't remember and you've had ZERO IMPACT. Not good for anyone!

"But, I`m not that guy down the pub with all the brilliant stories."

I'd just told them that in my past I taught people PowerShell. A command line tool that didn't even have a graphical user interface. Tremendously dry. So to keep it interesting I had to use stories, creative analogies and remind people why the tool was so important.

So I did an exercise with the folks I was working with.

"Write me a 2 min anecdote that can bring this topic to life."

"Either choose an anecdote where something went wrong for you, or choose an industry disaster story that you can bring to life."

Everyone had a go. I filmed the results and we played it back to everyone. The results were mind blowing.

Everyone became a million times more engaging and interesting. We had gasps, we had laughs, we had connection.

We had a room full of stories that could bring the most boring of topics to life and engage the most reluctant audiences.

My advice to them …. craft a few anecdotes and sprinkle them throughout their sessions. Use the stories to inject energy, emotional connection and support the dry topics.

Complement the substance with something interesting.

You don't have to be "that guy down the pub". But with a bit of effort you can raise your game and raise your impact.

Imagine if your team were full of people that brilliantly engaged customers, stakeholders and colleagues. Think how much you could achieve.

Hope this helps

Ben

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