Got a speech, presentation, or pitch coming up? Here’s another way to tackle it. – SCN Encourager

Consider this approach when the traditional tried and true fails to get your creative juices going.

You know that storytelling’s big.

Real big.

Even speedy-kwik “moments” captured via Snapchat or Vine are enhanced when connected by a common narrative.

You don’t need all that much.

Some kind of beginning, implied or actual.

Some kind of ending, implied or actual.

And tah-dah, you’ve got the framework of your story.

When the stars are aligned in your favor (AKA – in the flow), you’re able to easily weave shared feelings, a core message, and a few reasonably decent supportive facts or rationales into the “story structure” into your speech, article, or presentation.

Your unique blend of shared feelings, core messages, and facts will impact its relevance.

It’s your story that’ll make it memorable.

Whenever I’m in a pinch – which is most every day – I haul out the Past-Present-Future story structure we all learned back in 2nd grade.

Since my evolution as a content creator clearly crawls along at a pace slower than a legislator’s willingness to fully fund state mandates, I was excited to discover another “story structure” to add to my school communicator’s toolbox.

It’s also a simple three-stepper.

It’s just –
NOW…
NEW…
NEXT…

I like it.

It meets my two criteria –

Easy to remember

and do-able.

So give it a try sometime yourself.

Here’s NOW… Here’s what’s NEW… And here’s what’s NEXT…

I should tell you that this is not the actual story structure I use when I write the Encourager every night.

Of course, you’re probably thinking,

“What? You use some kind of structure?”

Well, I do, dang it.

 

But it’s more a cliché than a structure.

But it works!

I just tell myself –

It’s Now or Never.

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