Sometimes, these stories are harmless and merely reflect the human tendency to simplify, while in others, they can be misleading or manipulative.

It can be an unconscious adaptation or an intentional strategy to avoid facing or revealing more complex or challenging realities.

I am referring to the stories of convenience.

The story of convenience often serves a particular agenda. By aligning with common beliefs or prevailing trends, it is easy for people to buy into and support that POV without requiring significant thought.

There are times when the orientation matters more than the content. But all too often, the easy path wins at the expense of the better outcome.

A story about the brand, product or service can be oriented in one of two ways:

Inward story - which I define as ‘all about you’

Outward story - which is what’s in this for the audience - ‘Why should they care?’

We all know the adage of the low-hanging fruit, but what happens when the things right in front of us are the last things we should touch?

I am talking about changing messages and branding.

I know it can be easy to make these changes.

I know we get bored with what we say and see long before the market does.

And yes, it’s right there in front of us every day.

What do most presentations miss that makes them ineffective - the fundamentals of a story structure and what happens, as a result, is they end up with:

• Too much information

• Information that isn’t relevant to the core point

• Long and overly detailed explanations

• A flow that does little to draw the audience in or connect them to the content is a way that helps them process, store and recall the key points.

• A forgettable presentation

Not every presentation needs to be a story; many would benefit from applying some of the fundamentals, but when the outcome depends on the clarity of the delivery, knowing how to craft one becomes a critical skill.

Great strategic storytellers know that tone is a powerful tool for keeping their audience engaged throughout their story. Just as our senses become dull to unchanging stimuli, an audience can tune out when there’s no variation in the presentation, if we hold on one slide for too long or become monotone and drone on.

Consider how a beautiful view loses its impact after seeing it day after day or how the constant hum of an aeroplane engine fades into the background on a long flight —until a sudden change in a note suddenly awakens our senses. This same principle applies to tone in storytelling. If your tone stays static, your audience's attention may drift as they tune you out. But you can capture and hold their attention if you adjust your tone.

Every business has information that falls within the 'we need to make sure they know' folder. Sometimes, these business facts are viewed internally as very important, even critical, to win over the audience, and as a result, they make it into the opening few slides. They establish the story.

I am referring to details such as the number of offices and markets the business operates in, the number of staff, the number of years in business, the vision, the mission, and even the company values.

It's not that this information isn't important. There is a caveat: sometimes it really isn't. But most of the time, it's in the wrong place.

Data, research and statistics are all great for making and validating key points; however, without context, they can also be dangerous, particularly when the audience returns to your slides or has to present them to someone else.

Sometimes, the stat will come before the story, ‘Hey, we have this great research that should be in the deck.’ Or there will be a push to include specific data because there is a feeling that making the point without them lacks substance or because the number itself feels powerful.

When landing key messages, moving the audience to action, and winning business are the desired outcomes, three things matter:

Confidence in your presence

How do you show up when it comes time to present important messages, solutions and ideas?

Confidence in the story structure

How does your content show up in your presentation?

Confidence in the audience needs

How does what you do show up in relation to what the audience needs?

How does it feel when the time you thought you had to present gets cut in half?

The importance of crafting a narrative that guides a flowing story extends beyond how we receive, process, and store information and even beyond how it helps us present and the audience stay connected. These are amazing benefits on their own, but stories also help us compress and expand when circumstances change. And change they will.