So the hot thing in business presenting is storytelling.
But telling stories to illustrate your points and being a "storyteller" are two different things.
You don't have to be a storyteller to tell stories.
You don't have to be an entertainer to tell stories.
"Storytelling" has become such a buzzword that now everyone (mistakenly) believes they have to *perform* their stories, which just adds unnecessary stress to your preparation.
A story:
↬ illustrates a point and makes it relatable
↬ helps people understand complex or abstract concepts
↬ shows people how to use the tools you’re giving them
When you’re considering using a story in your presentation, ask yourself, “How does this serve my audience?”
↝ Will it help solve their problem?
↝ Can they relate it to their experience?
↝ Will it help them take action right away?
↝ Will it help them learn and retain my material better?
↝ Does it take them on a journey that shows cause and effect?
↝ Is there some emotional appeal to the story? Does it activate humor, anger, frustration, curiosity or an aha moment?
Just remember:
Storytelling is a craft and a skill that can be cultivated. You can become great at storytelling with practice.
TELLING stories is a tool for learning, engagement and cracking open complex concepts.
Storytelling and telling stories are not the same thing, and you do NOT have to be an entertainer to help your audiences apply your concepts through stories.
Reach out if you want to make your stories more effective and applicable to your speaking topics!
Lisa Braithwaite - Public Speaking Coach
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Also, speaking coaches want to strip you of your personality and make you into perfectly gestured, exhaustively rehearsed, motivational-speaking machines. 🤖
Also, we're only for beginners or for people who are petrified of speaking. 😱
Some false beliefs are passed down from our parents.
Some are spread by media and later debunked (but the debunking doesn't get nearly as much coverage).
Some are just assumptions people make without ever questioning their assumptions.
Jamie Hale at the writes "Humans are cognitive misers; we have a tendency to engage in thinking that doesn’t require much energy or analytical thinking....
Generally, information that is easy to process is preferred."
And yeah, we're animals for whom survival instincts still dominate, even with our disproportionately large logical brains.
So it's understandable we want information that's super digestible and quickly consumed (mmm, cotton candy!).
But hear me out: Ya gotta ask questions. Please get curious. 🙏🏼
You might be surprised at all the things you believe to be true that are misconceptions and misinformation that you've absorbed without even noticing.
Believing six impossible things before breakfast can be a useful skill, but maybe it should also send you down a rabbit hole or two to verify and confirm. 🕳️
I'm here to debunk any myths you've heard or believed about working with a speaking coach! Hit me with all of it.
BTW, it's perfectly fine to keep your potatoes in the fridge, and to rinse your mushrooms before cooking them. 🥔🍄🟫 You're welcome.
What have you questioned lately? What's blown your mind?
P.S. Like all mammals, dairy cows need to be lactating to produce milk. And they're lactating because they're repeatedly impregnated and constantly giving birth. 🙁
04/17/2026
Men, can I ask what actions you'll be taking?
I really thought we had made some progress.
But the internet has just created more opportunities for manosphere, incels, abusers in general to bond with each other over misogyny, outrageous expectations and stunted emotional growth.
I even found myself rationalizing, "Well, it's 62 million *visits* in February, not necessarily 62 million *individuals.* Like that makes a difference. 🫤
So what if it's 32 million individuals visiting these sites twice a day? Or 16 million visiting four times a day?
The fact that this exists at all is enraging enough.
I was in DV for six years. Half of those were spent developing educational programs for teens on healthy and abusive relationships.
I spent my days in high school classrooms and juvenile justice facilities having heart-to-heart conversations with young people.
Back then, we didn't know about "patriarchy." We just talked about gender norms and conditioning and what we've been taught about how we "should" behave in relationships.
I hope that some of those young people took our conversations into their adult relationships.
I ask again: Men, what actions will you take?
Are you talking about this with other men? With your sons?
Will this article become a topic of conversation or will you avoid it?
Did you talk about Gisele Pelicot's husband with your friends?
Do you express your disgust for misogyny and abuse?
Do you speak up when men use degrading language or laugh about harassment, abuse and rαpe?
We need to hear from you. We already found it hard to trust you, but this report just reaffirms what many of us have felt and experienced throughout our lives: that men aren't to be trusted.
I don't expect you all to pontificate about this on social media, which can be performative, instead of taking real action.
I expect you to:
• have real conversations with men and boys in your lives
• read ' new book "Every Man: Why Violence Against Women Is a Men's Issue, and How You Can Make a Difference"
• donate money to anti-violence orgs
• join men's groups that are doing this work
If you're not , you're part of the problem.
POV: Benjamin's butt.
No, I cannot start a training until Benjamin has approved the setup.
That's just the way it is.
Today's workshop was Memorable Messaging: Conversations to Make an Impact, for 's United for Libraries group. Good times!
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