Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations

Practice Makes Perfect

Most people's idea of how to improve their storytelling skills is that they have to give more presentations. However, that is a mistake they should avoid. Delivering a dozen bad presentations doesn't mean the next one will be great. If you get a little better each time, you're still damaging your reputation and losing the chance to influence an audience.

If you want to gain real improvement, practice daily. Zig Ziglar (American author, salesman, and motivational speaker) jokes, “People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing — that's why we recommend it daily.” There are many different techniques used in CAST, and you don't need to use them all together to get value from any of them. Take one activity at a time and build it into something you are doing each day, monitor your performance, look for improvement in your effectiveness, and put the feedback into your approach. The repetition of practice and objective feedback is key.

As an artist and musician, what has helped shape the storyteller in me today has everything to do with the exposure I've had to the work of others. I absorb what's already out there to develop the inspiration required to lead with my own unique voice.

Whatever kind of presenter you may be, the best storytellers know how to connect established conventions and new ones. This is where change happens — where ...