Use dialogue to improve your presentations

Use Dialogue to Improve Your Presentations

By Peter "The Humorator" Fogel

Every day, we engage in dialogue with our kids, spouse, and co-workers. When we tell a humorous story, we use dialogue naturally and effectively. But we shy away from using dialogue in our "storytelling" during a presentation because we think it's not "businesslike." When done properly, though, it can help you make a more powerful connection with your audience.

• Speaking in dialogue takes you from being the abstract "narrator" of your story to being in the same position as your audience.

• When introducing another character through dialogue, you are automatically making your story more interesting.

• When you repeat the words of another character, you're changing the tone of your voice, which makes you less monotonous. (By the way, it's also a good idea to look slightly to the left and then slightly to the right to differentiate between words spoken by two characters.)

• Effective use of dialogue can make your storytelling more conversational and easier to understand.

• Using dialogue will naturally create pauses throughout your story and vary the rhythm.

• Using dialogue helps you slow down your delivery, making it easier for your audience to digest the facts.