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Narrative Speeches
What is a Narrative?
History
History
Since the beginning of time society has relied on stories as a way of social interaction.
According to Chris Anderson, the "(a)nthropologist Polly Wiessner has spent forty years researching certain forager cultures and periodically recording who said what and when. In 2014, she published a paper that showed a dramatic difference between daytime and night time gatherings. Daytime talk, even when larger groups were involved, centered on economic discussions and social gossip. At night....(t)here might be singing, dancing, rituals. But the most time was spent on storytelling" (Anderson, 63).
- When you gather with your family, do
you make story telling a central part
of your visits?
What is the Point?
According to Anderson, he was told by Professor Wiesner that story telling helps to expand the listenerss mind by being able to imagine, gain insight and to understand the mind of the story teller (64).
Stories are more than just entertainment, they
are essential for learning. All stories can be
used as life lessons for the listeners
How do we use Stories Today?
We use stories in all forms of multi-media. We see this especially in the novels or comics we read, the shows we watch on TV, and the movies that we enjoy on the big screen.
Tell me your favorite TV show.
What is your favorite movie?
How are Narratives Useful?
When telling a narrative, you are immersing the audience with your feelings which can help persuade the audience towards your way of thinking.
Immersed in thoughts
Immersed in thoughts
You can persuade your audience to think the way you think
Immersed in emotions
Immersed in emotions
If you are feeling excited, you can make your audience feel excited. If you are telling a story that scared you, you will also scare your audience. If you are feeling stressed, you will make your audience feel stressed
Care about the outcome
Care about the outcome
By getting the audience to care about the feelings that they feel, you will also make them care about the outcome of the story. Once you have their care, you will have your audience's attention.
How to make a Narrative
How to make a narrative
Narratives have a structure to them. You shouldmake sure that:
- "The thoughline is taken care of. (It is simply the narrative arc of the story.)
- Provided the story is compelling, you can evoke an intense response in the audience.
- If the story is about you, you will create empathy for some of the things you care most about.
- It's easy to remember what you're going to say because the structure is linear, and your brain is extreamly comfortable recalling one event right after another" (Anderson, 67)
You need to make sure that your story is giving something to your audience. If your story does not have a goal or a life lesson it can wind up confusing your audience. Some stories without a point are entertaining, but why are you using it in your speech?
When sharing your story
Make sure that any story that you share has these four key things, which Chris Anderson mentions on pg. 65 of your text:
- Base it on a character your audience can empathize with
- Build tension, whether through curiosity, social intrigue, or actual danger.
- Offer the right level of detail. Too little and the story is not vivid. To much and it gets bogged down.
- End with a satisfying resolution, whether funny, moving or revealing.
Turn to page 65 in your books and let us see what narrative we like better.
The next two slides are examples of professional speakers:
This first video is Ben Saunder's talk about the South Pole. Saunder's talk is referenced on page 69 of your book.
This next video is from Andrew Solomon who is referenced in your TED Talk's text book on page 69:
Things to avoid
There are some pit falls when it comes to doing a narrative. If you are not careful, you could fall into some of these traps.
Things to Avoid
Rambling
Rambling
It is ok to have a speech that feels like it is rambling as long as it has a point. According to Anderson, if your speech reviels something that you wish to share with the audience that is a powerful learning experience and "if each step in your journey is revealed with humility and honest and vulnerability, it is a journey we will gladly make with you" (Anderson, 68).
So do not worry about rambling if you do have a message, you do not want to stop your speech short if you are having these feelings. Just make sure that the speech has a point and that it gets through to the audience.
Honesty
Honesty
It is very easy when telling a story to over exaggerate what has happened to you. You may do this because you want to make your point, company and/or life seem a little more interesting. You may want to add excitement into your story because you feel that your story sounds boring.... So you may start adding things that did not really happen to you. This is a mistake.
When you give a speech you always want to be truthful. If you exaggerate there is a greater possibility someone may find your story suspicious.
It only takes one person to discredit your entire speach, even if what you say for the most part is true. One lie, even if it is as innocent as exaggerating an experience that happened to you, can discreadit every truthful statement that you make because your audience will be suspicious of you.
Parables
Parables
You may want to use parable to show a moral lesson in your speech. These are ok to use but you must use them in the right way.
Risks
When telling a parable, you want to make sure that you do not lead an audience to a conclusion. The audience should be able to connect the dots in your speech. You do not want to insult your audience by force-feeding the conclusion.
Also you want ot make sure that the analogy fits. Parables can be misleading, Anderson states. If used in the wrong way you can confuse your audience, just as much as you can enlighten them.
Example
Lawrence Lessing is referenced in your TED Talk's text book as an example of using a parable well on pg 70.
Example
Example
Malcolm Gladwell is another example that your text references as an example of a person who knows how to use parables