You may be sitting on a goldmine of untapped stories to use in your presentations, and you don’t even realize it.
How? By paying close attention to your everyday conversations. Let’s explore two ideas that may seem at odds but can work in tandem: The merit of recounting stories you’ve heard from others, versus the advice to rely solely on your own experiences.
Here’s the rule of thumb: If you recount stories from individuals who aren’t professional speakers or colleagues, then make them the hero of the tale. That adds credibility and intrigue to your presentation.
Once you actively listen and keep your senses alert, you’ll find an abundance of stories to enrich your pre
sentations.
A Lesson in Exceptional Service: The Story of Gary Richter
Early in my career, I was speaking on good customer service at a banking conference. In the coffee break that followed I had the pleasure of meeting a very colorful character I have never forgotten. He told me he was Gary Richter, and was President of a boutique bank in Naples, Florida. He asked, “Patricia, if an elderly woman calls our bank at 5:20 PM to cash a $200 check, and she’s twenty minutes away, but we close at 5:30, what does good service look like?”
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