More of this Feature • Part 1: Stories of Our Lives • Part 2: 5 Storytelling Tips

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Elsewhere on the Web • What to do when you forget what you were saying

A few years ago, I had an amazing experience. A regional conference was held in Raleigh, NC that included seven stakes, thousands of people, and two Apostles of Jesus Christ. Elder Richard G. Scott and President Thomas S. Monson were in attendance, along with Area President Dale Miller. Because I was serving as Young Men's president in my ward, I was invited to attend a four-hour leadership meeting that involved these three speakers. There were over 1000 listeners in the audience. As the various speakers shared their messages, each listener gave their full attention for hours, mostly without complaint.

All three leaders gave inspiring talks designed to help us be more effective in our leadership responsibilities. They both conveyed their messages with power and inspiration. The highlight of the day for me, however, was during the third hour of the conference. In order to understand why this talk was close to my heart, you should know that I teach public speaking courses for a living. As I listened to President Monson speak, I heard him follow the model of public speaking that I try to ingrain into young, impressionable minds that come through Fayetteville Technical Community College. To have that kind of validation of my teaching style is truly a gift. A key characteristic of President Monson's speaking style, and one reason that he is a favorite speaker for many church members is his use of stories to convey important messages.

Because telling stories during talks in church is a fairly common practice, I think that sharing pointers for using stories in our talks might be a good idea. First I'll talk about why stories are good, and then I'll give some tips for using stories effectively.

Stories: What do they have to offer?

Before we discuss how to use stories in talks, we need to talk about why stories are good to use in talks. Some people do not appreciate the sharing of personal experiences. One member of the church who attended the regional conference commented that he "expected more from the next President of the church." Why not quote scripture and expound on important doctrines? Nothing is wrong with the old "brimstone" method, but studies have shown that putting ideas into a context that people can relate to makes it easier for them to understand the content of the message (Gregory, 2002). Also, people are more willing to listen when the speaker tells a story than simply standing up and spitting out information.

Church is not the only place where people are realizing this, either. The Harvard Business Review (1998) reported that 3-M and other companies use stories to communicate strategic plans to top officials. 3-M even teaches it's executives how to tell stories. What is the reasoning behind this trend? Stories are easier to remember, they show relationships more effectively than the traditional bullet-point list, and you can tell when the point has been made.

Sacrament meeting is not a business meeting at 3-M, but the same concepts apply. If the point you are trying to communicate is important, then help your audience to remember it. So, five rules follow for those who want to incorporate stories into their next talk.

© John W. Edwards, II 2002

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