Storyworthy Summary (C22): Time to Perform

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It’s okay to be nervous.

Whether you’ve carefully crafted your story for an auditorium, presenting your vision in the boardroom, or retelling a moment of time on a first date, nerves happen.

But don’t let them freeze you.

As long as you keep telling your story, everything will be fine.

Being nervous is normal, and it can be a good thing.

Your audience can relate to being nervous. It shows them that you are just like them. They will root for you before you even begin.

Of course, this is context dependent. In the boardroom, displaying confidence in your presentation is necessary.

And you should never fake being nervous. Your audience will know.

Reciting lines isn’t authentic, and that will come through in your story.

Instead, just memorize three parts:

1. The first two or three sentences so you get a strong start.

2. The last two or three sentences so you get a strong finish.

3. Your story scenes.

As long as each scene in your story is in a physical location, you will be able to fill in the blanks on the fly.

Try to keep the amount of scenes (locations) to a minimum. It will be easier to remember. Never have more than seven.

You can’t connect to your audience without eye contact.

With a large audience, find three people that are receptive to you (laughing, smiling, nodding, etc). One on your right, one in front of you, and one on your left. Rotate your eye contact with these three people and the people around them will also feel attended to.

As a bonus, focusing on the people that are very receptive to you is great for on stage confidence.

Emotion is good. It is relatable and heartfelt. But you don’t want to get too emotional. Crying on stage or having a fit of anger is never good.

Here’s a trick to help you distance yourself from a triggering story. Pretend you are looking down at yourself from above while you tell the story.

Usually, when most people imagine themselves, they are within themselves. Like a first person perspective video game. Instead, imagine it from a top-down perspective.

Another thing you can do is repeat triggering sentences to yourself. This is like conditioning yourself so the power of those specific words don’t affect you as much.

There is a right way to speak into a microphone. Get advice from a professional (search a YouTube video) and practice.

Here are three basic tips:

• Even when using a microphone, aim to speak to the back of the room. The microphone doesn’t do the work for you. Push your voice through it.
• If the microphone is on a stand, take your time to ensure it is at the right height. It may feel like it’s taking a long time, but it isn’t. The audience won’t mind.
• If you have the choice, always use a microphone. Hearing impairment is more common than most people think.

Read the next chapter here.

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