The Value of Storytelling: Adding Meaning

When presenting, we' try to convey meaning to our audience. The content we're delivering means something to us, and we hope it will mean something to our audience. But it's up to you, the presenter, to unearth that meaning and connection. Simply delivering facts, figures, statistics, and testimonials aren't enough. Without a story, your content—whether you're pitching your startup idea to investors, trying to sell a service to a business owner, or hoping to motivate potential donors to support your charity—will be meaningless. Sure, a flashy demo or impressive numbers might pique their interest, but what's going to form a long-lasting memory in their minds? What move not only their minds, but also their hearts? A recent trip got me thinking about the value of a story.

This Labor Day weekend my wife and I decided to take the 76-minute train ride into New York City and be "tourists" for a day. Sure, I've been there countless times in the nearly 10 years since I permanently moved to Connecticut, but there were a few things that are still fun to do, even if they're the cliche tourist spots. Not to mention, these were new memories I could form with my wife.

Our last tourist stop was at Ground Zero. Since 2001, I had only been to Ground Zero once, and that was only passing through it on the PATH train from New Jersey. At that time it was still just a hole, with no clear direction. However it's a much different scene now. Beautiful buildings pierce the New York skyline. The Freedom Tower is already the tallest building in NYC, and it's not even completed yet. The image above was taken of the Freedom Tower in front of the World Financial Center.

The front of Ten House - Taken by me

Our final stop before catching the subway back to Grand Central was at the FDYN Ladder and Engine 10 house, known as "Ten House." Sitting on the corner of Liberty Street, just steps away from the original World Trade Center north and south towers, no fire company was closer. After the towers fell, the house was unusable until 2003. A number of tourists stood outside the building, many looking at the FDNY Memorial Wall Sculpture. Two firefighters from the company stood at the doorway in the rear of the building. It was reassuring to see them smile as they spoke with a tourist who seemed to have little understanding of what took place on the ground he stood.

As my wife browsed the WTC Memorial Store, now directly next door to the Ten House, I took a seat on the curb and looked at the site. It is still eerie to look and see acres of emptiness in a city where the buildings seem to be build on top of one another. However, at one point I stopped looking at Ground Zero and simply stared at the street…at the curb itself…at the businesses that called Liberty Street their home. Essex World Cafe, which was turned into a medical center on September 11th, serves blue collar workers in hard hats everyday, when it once served white collar professionals in suits. Next to it is O'Hara's Pub, which closed for 8 months after the attack but helped bring the neighborhood back together.

I couldn't really come to terms with the place I was sitting. I knew that the pavement I was looking at was more than just pavement. The very spot I was sitting saw horror and destruction that I'll never comprehend. If I took a picture of that pavement, you wouldn't think anything of it. It would just be pavement to you, unless it could tell you its stories. Its stories are what gives it meaning. Its the stories that made the very curb I was sitting on hallowed ground – so much as though I didn't feel worth to even sit on it.

Stories reshape information into meaning. A story turns that curb into more than just a curb. The Freedom Tower is more than just another skyscraper – it's our rebirth as a nation and our resiliency as a people. Your company, your product, your charity, your idea is more than just the balance sheet or the price. Its the stories that add the true meaning. The stories are what resonate in our hearts forever. I'm not sure I'll ever forget that moment, sitting on that curb, and it's all because of the story.

When crafting your presentation, find those stories that will infuse meaning into your message. How were you inspired? How has your product changed people's lives? How has it changed your life? What challenges have you faced and overcome? How have you failed? What are the true stories behind your message?

I'll cover more about infusing meaning into your presentations through storytelling at the Presentation Summit (Austin, 9/20/11). Hope you will join me!

Lastly, I have to apologize. I've neglected this blog for nearly a month. As responsibilities in my life change, I'll be blogging less often than twice weekly like I have previously. It will be something more to the effect of one per week from here on out. But it's a good thing. I've been spending less time on writing here because I've had an increase in clients and speaking engagements, which require a lot of my focus. I'm sorry.

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Original Page: http://www.presentationadvisors.com/?p=1523

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