Reflection

Challenge and Selection:

In my job, working with a corporate consulting firm, my biggest daily challenge

lies in public speaking and doing presentations to our stakeholders, the media or

clients. Usually I’ll be tasked with presenting an idea, strategy or information to a body

of individuals whom I’ve never met and while I’m usually versed and confident in the

information I have to deliver, the challenge lies in what approach I should use to appeal

and engage the group I’m presenting to in a clear, concise manner.

Even before taking a course on Design Innovation, I’ve always found Storytelling

to be an effective tool in addressing this challenge because it doesn’t matter where

people come from and who they are, they all love and can relate to a good story. The

concept of storytelling, which is to deliver your message in a fun, engaging, sequenced

manner, allows you to be clear and comprehensive in your deliverance and makes it

easy for the audience to capture the essence of your presentation, that is, the important

part which you want everyone to take away.

Application:

In each of my presentations, I would incorporate storytelling differently,

depending on two factors; who I’m presenting to and what I’m presenting on. I usually

ask myself what is the best way to use this tool in my presentation. In a recent

presentation, where I was tasked with presenting a new idea to the board, I used a

backstory to introduce a common issue in our market. This method worked because it

not only engaged each of the members but it also appealed to their emotions. They were

able to grasp the concept of the issue clearly and later in my presentation, after

introducing the idea which could potentially solve the issue, I was able to come back to

my story and apply this information, giving a clear demonstration of how the idea

presented can solve the issue. This led to this presentation being successful in delivering

the essence of my idea and creating a similar vision in each of their minds.

Insight and Approach:

Public speaking, especially presenting a relatively new idea to group of esteemed

individuals whom you are fairly acquainted with is a nerve-wracking task. How to

appeal to your audience and ensure everyone is engaged long enough to grasp a similar

idea of what you’re trying to present is not the easiest thing to do. However, by using

storytelling I was able to demonstrate my idea step by step in a clear and

comprehensive manner. My audience was engaged and I felt confident in my

presentation because I was able to appeal to their senses and plant a similar vision in

their minds at the end of my presentation. That’s the beauty of storytelling.

In an effort to be more effective when using this tool, I would suggest using

visual or audio or both materials/props. A simple brochure or visual map can also

contribute to enhance the results of using this tool. Another effective and fun way to use

this tool is to involve your members, speak directly to them, include them in your story

so they stay engaged and are able to receive the message. If the challenge involves

engaging a diverse group of individuals and controlling the narrative and how you

deliver it, then storytelling is a great tool to use.

