Where to start?
How to start?
Should I start?
Why should I in the first place start?
Is it a similar situation we face when our vehicles fail to start during the winter times? Do we continue putting in our efforts or allow the damn engine to choke to breathe?
It does start, maybe, after a few kick start and I somehow feel this enables in the thawing process and the engine blinks a relief!
And rest is the Story!
Oh!
This is exactly what happens when we want to share a story. In a normal and in our comfortable situation, we just flow like a river comfortably sharing stories to the folks around us, and here I feel it doesn’t require too much planning or organizing a task. I feel that it is because of the fact that we picture the outcome in our mind with ease when we are around with our folks.
What if, if we have to share a story with an unknown audience or a community?
This I would typically call it, a winter vehicle situation.
The situation is that that we have to share a story or an experience. At this place, “Need-analysis” plays an important role.
The need analysis helps us with the following aspects:
The purpose of the story and its effect on the audience.
(It could be for example, like the Photosynthesis concept in a science class or preparing for a Sales PPT for a meeting in the office. Why we need to know about Photosynthesis or how a Sales report helps in understanding a fact)
What kind of a story and why this story?
- Is the audience of a particular group/age.
- How to and what to prioritize on, while sharing a story?
- What mode of a start will help?
(Whether introducing an audio mode or streaming visual images while connecting, this is possible in a virtual set – up, where we can switch off our Video and connect a story with audio mode alone as an ice-breaker. At times putting few PPTs/videos also helps in connecting)
- What kind of words will help?
- Language connects primarily I am referring to Understanding and expression of the content delivery.
- Time duration.
- And primarily having a schedule and a wire-frame will help us in the preparation and simple delivery of the content.
- Mental mapping, preparation, practice will help us in having an agenda that will enable us in reconnecting with the audience.
- The story starts with us, like my Coach Ms.Jeeva Raghunath says, Stories are like a pickle, the more we feel, the more we visualize, the more we hear, it tastes better.
- It is important to give that contact time for analyzing the need, understanding the concept and how we can pin it with a story, how we can split a story into various parts by introducing the concept in between and enabling the audience to perceive the Outcome.
Pausing here and soon I will be back with the next post on Illustrating Stories.