Public Speaking

The beginning isn’t always at the beginning

A very full African male lion lies on a dirt track. A jackal stands about 15m in the background on the same track.

Storytelling is an excellent way to get your message across. You can use stories to hang facts on and make them more memorable. If you’re concerned that you’re not a storyteller, think about this:

Stories don’t have to be chronological.

If you begin the story of your life with “I was born in 1975 and lived in a small house in a big city” then go on to outline your siblings, your schooling, your first job… by the time you get to the bit where you stood up to a lion in Northern Namibia with your best friend a sprinting speck of dust on the horizon, your audience will have drifted away.

Start with the lion.

The beginning of a story is the bit where you grab your audience. Don’t make them sit through tedious detail. Throw them straight into the action.

You can always take them back to your school years later. (Because, you’ll explain, that was where you first read that it’s dangerous to run away from lions – while your best friend was asleep at her desk.)