“One of the key components of an effective presentation is the inclusion of a story.  Storytelling (sometimes called “Digital Storytelling” when using PowerPoint or Keynote) can have a profound effect on an audience, removing them from the classroom, boardroom, or auditorium and taking them on a journey.

n marketing in general, having a story is what sets you apart from your competitors.  It’s what can humanize your product/service, showing value while entertaining at the same time.  No bullet-point, spec filled brochure can touch the selling power of a story.  Let me show you a telling example.

Onstar is an in-vehicle security and safety system.  In non-marketing speak, it’s a subscription-based technology that does a variety of things, including a connection to advisors and emergency personnel, hands-free calling, directions, and much more.  It’s a cool technology but becomes a tremendous asset should you be in an accident or should your car get stolen.  That’s when the monthly-subscription is totally worth it.

Onstar has numerous features, which are all impressive and are a nice-to-have, but I can see why many people would cancel the subscription.  Like insurance, we all love it when it covers us in an accident, but are annoyed to pay the bill otherwise.  Thus, their TV ads show the features and try to portray situations where OnStar would be a big help.  They even use real OnStar recorded calls.

I can only imagine how high their Marketing team and PR agency jumped when they heard the story last week about Senator Bob Corker’s 22 year-old daughter getting carjacked, and the perpetrators ultimately being apprehended and the car found because of OnStar’s tracking capability.  A true story that shows the utility of OnStar and the power of storytelling.

The video is a little long, so in short (as if anything I write is short), the Senator’s daughter had pulled to the side of the road.  When someone approached the car asking for directions, she was pulled out and the car stolen.  Shortly thereafter, OnStar reported to Seat Pleasant, MD authorities that the car was in their jurisdiction.  They pinpointed the location and could even tell them that the car was not moving (it was in a parking lot).

Corker put the icing on OnStar’s PR cake when he said the following (from CNN.com):

“I was telling the lady who handles that for me in Chattanooga, each month I was saying, ‘I don’t want to pay this, I don’t want to pay this,'” Corker said, adding that it was a nominal fee.

But he kept the service, “thinking that maybe OnStar would be of some help” someday, Corker said. “Certainly it paid off tremendously last night,” he said.

Wow.  What a story.  After I read it I immediately emailed it to my wife and said, “Is this not the BEST advertising a subscription service could ever ask for?”  If you were someone in the OnStar sales department talking to a car owner who has a child of driving age, instead of peddling the features bullet-point style, wouldn’t you tell this story every single time?  What a profound effect it would have!

Not only will a story like this have an emotional effect, it can easily be recalled.  Just from watching the video or reading the story you learn about OnStar features.  Only two or three specific features were mentioned in this particular story, but I believe four, five, or even six features could be embedded in a story like this and still be accurately recalled.  These features are easily recalled because you’re recalling them within the context of the story, as opposed to a bullet-point list.

I don’t expect your product/service to have a story as compelling as this, but there must be some story to tell.  Not necessarily a real-life testimonial, either.  Just a story about the inherent value of what you’re offering.  About what used to be and what is now.  Where your company has been and where you’re going.

Make sure when you craft your presentation that you’re crafting some sort of story.  Remember, there are many types of stories.  Find your story and build that into your presentation.  Stay away from simply listing attributes, key features, specs, etc. and tell the audience a story.  Engage them (and engage with them).  You and your story will easily be remembered, while your competitor’s bullet-points and product features will be quickly forgotten.”

By Jon Thomas
Presentation Advisors
as originally posted at http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e55014bea188330128762f0ff3970c