What's sort of storytelling reluctance have you got?

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Quiz Questions

1.
You're the speaker in the picture. How do you feel?
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- A.
  I've got no problem with that - in fact I enjoy it and I'm good at it
- B.
  I can do it. I want to do it better, obviously, but I've done it before and I'll do it again
- C.
  Cold sweat and hot flushes... but if I must...
- D.
  Nope. No, no, no, no...
2.
From 1-3, how outdoorsy are you?
- A.
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  1 – I like the outdoors... as long as it's on the other side of the my living room window.
- B.
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  2 – When I'm bogged down with to-dos, getting out in nature helps me clear my head.
- C.
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  3 – I'm outside more than inside! Biking, swimming, and hiking – I do it all.
3.
How do you get dressed when you present?
- A.
  Whatever I'm wearing. I'm absolutely me, whenever, where-ever
- B.
  It takes me a while to figure it out. I need to dress just right for confidence
- C.
  It varies, obviously, depending on the presentation and how important it is
- D.
  If I use enough slides, no one will be looking at me - thank heavens
4.
What are your slides like?
- A.
  Data. All the data and only the data... which I'll explain.
- B.
  The prettier the slide the less they'll look at me.
- C.
  Slides? Slides are for the weak!
5.
Has anyone ever told you're a little loud?
- A.
  I'M NOT YELLING – YOU'RE YELLING! Uhmmm, that'd be a yes.
- B.
  Yeah... BUT... what's the point of having a voice if you never use to?
- C.
  Maybe once or twice 🤔 I'm usually more on the mellow side, though.
- D.
  No way – if anything, they have to tell me to speak up...
- E.
  Eh? I mostly get it right!
6.
What sort of adverts attract your attention?
- A.
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  Does what it says on the tin
- B.
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  Love a gorilla that can play the drums
- C.
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  Facts. Just facts
- D.
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  Ummm adverts?
7.
Pretend you've got the choice... what's closest to your ideal workout?
- A.
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  How I get fit is none of your business
- B.
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  Perfecting my yoga.
- C.
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  Trying out a new trail with my maps and compass
- D.
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  A high energy group class. Sign me up!
8.
How often do you lose your cool?
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- A.
  Rarely – it takes a lot to get me riled up.
- B.
  I only freak out when people hurt my friends and family. Usually I'm pretty good at keeping it together. But hurt my pet hamster and it's war.
- C.
  Sometimes – and when I do, it's because I've got all the facts about, so I'm RIGHT and THEY'RE wrong...
- D.
  I can tend to lose my cool... BUT, hey, I'd rather let it out than hold on to resentment.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
Reluctant Storyteller type: mouse!
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Not only do you not want to be a storyteller in your presentations but you don't think you know how to make them interesting. To be honest, that's the trickiest option of them all because those two things re-inforce each other, which makes it harder to change... but change you can!Indeed, change you must, 'cos storytelling is absolutely fundamental to presenting.Here's a few ideas that might help1) Go onlineGet your Zoom on. It doesn't have to be Zoom of course, but Zoom is the standard. The beauty of Zoom is that the skills for presenting to a room full of people are exactly the same as for an empty room... and Zoom allows you to have meetings with no one there! So fire up Zoom, hit the record button and try your storytelling. Do it three times so that you get the hang of it and get into it and - importantly - forget about the recording.Come back to the recording later - after a cup of tea or coffee - and ask yourself if the presentation worked. Don't ask if it was bad or good because you'll only see the things you did wrong. Ask yourself instead all the technical questions of how to make it better.2) Go where your target audience aren'tMaybe you saw this tip coming but it takes a lot of people by surprise. Don't try including stories in your presentations when you're talking to people where the outcome matters... at least not at first.Why? Because at first you'll get it wrong, and if you get it wrong in front of people who might have been interested in your stuff you'll lose them. On the other hand if you get it wrong in front of people who'd never be interested in your or your stuff even if their lives depended on it... well then, you've lost nothing but you've gained a live rehearsal and much-needed experience.3) Get the starter pack!I've put together a short book that covers some of the basic tools - at least a couple of which will help you. In fact, as a full-on-reluctant, I hope they all will! :) You can check out the details of the pack by clicking here.4) Talk to meHonestly, I know you're expecting this as an outcome from taking this quiz but I'm not like that. (Try the quiz again with faked answers if you don't believe me :) ). There are very few places on the Relecutant Storyteller programme and you sound like you'd really benefit from it. I want you to do at least one of three things:ONE. Grab an online virtual coffee with me - for absolutely free - to see if the Reluctant Storyteller is a fit for you. Do it here.TWO. Take five minutes to have a look at the Reluctant Storyteller page and see if it feels like something you've got the time and resources for. The details are here. Don't forget to sign up for for updates if you like what you've seen.THREE. Get a copy of the Reluctant Starter Pack. You can get it here.Take a Break From Scrolling – Let Me Introduce Myself...Hey there. I'm Simon. I started my working life as a research scientist - my PhD was looking for environmental causes of childhood leukaemia. I got into presentations training because I realised how bad most scientists were at explaining what they do, so I started to research how to communicate. I've also been a playwright, author, lighting designer for dance companies and a fire eater. Honestly. I started the Reluctatant Storyteller programme because I got more and more frustrated with so-called presentation skills trainers who were making money out of their instinctive ability to tell stories but who couldn't help people learn how to do it.It's a passion project for me.
2.
Reluctant storyteller type: deer
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I get you. This is me. I'm really good at telling stories now, because I've learned how to do it, but my instinct is still to avoid doing that because, well, frankly, my stories are none of anyone else's business.We call people like you and I deers. Why? Because we're just a bit shy about sharing our stories. Usually that's because either:A/ we're very private and our stories are none of anyone else's business; orB/ we just don't think anyone else would be interested in what we've got to say.The good news is that there are some techniques which help you get past those inhibitions - and without bringing you out in a cold sweat.Here's a few ideas that might help1) Take a reality checkTime for some tough love - sorry!Take five minutes to think back to the most powerful presentations you've been lucky enough to see and hear. Each of them will have contained a strong emotional connection - and that usually came from stories. You need to be doing that - but don't panic, no one is asking you to expose your soul! In fact, the best stories aren't actually the personal ones - they're the ones that the audiences are involved in. If you're not sure, check out my rant here.2) Watch stand up comicsI'm serious!I'm thinking here about the type of comic who does observational stuff, not a series of quick one-liners... the ones who talk about real life and pull the funny bits out of it. Look carefully, because what they're doing is creating emotional engagement and connections with their audiences by telling stories but they're not talking about themselves. (Most political satire is like this in particular!)3) Get the starter pack!I've put together a short book that covers some of the basic tools - at least a couple of which will help you. In fact, as a full-on-reluctant, I hope they all will! :) You can check out the details of the pack by clicking here.4) Talk to meHonestly, I know you're expecting this as an outcome from taking this quiz but I'm not like that. (Try the quiz again with faked answers if you don't believe me :) ). There are very few places on the Relecutant Storyteller programme and you sound like you'd really benefit from it. I want you to do at least one of three things:ONE. Grab an online virtual coffee with me - for free - to see if the Reluctant Storyteller is a fit for you. Do it here.TWO. Take five minutes to have a look at the Reluctant Storyteller page and see if it feels like something you've got the time and resources for. The details are here.THREE. Get a copy of the Reluctant Starter Pack. You can get it here. Don't forget to sign up for for updates if you like what you've seen.Take a Break From Scrolling – Let Me Introduce Myself...Hey there. I'm Simon. I started my working life as a research scientist - my PhD was looking for environmental causes of childhood leukaemia. I got into presentations training because I realised how bad most scientists were at explaining what they do, so I started to research how to communicate. I've also been a playwright, author, lighting designer for dance companies and a fire eater. Honestly. I started the Reluctatant Storyteller programme because I got more and more frustrated with so-called presentation skills trainers who were making money out of their instinctive ability to tell stories but who couldn't help people learn how to do it.It's a passion project for me.
3.
Reluctant storyteller type: ostrich
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What's an Ostrich Reluctant? It's a corny way of summing up people who've got the urge and got the stories, but they've not got the techniques. (Why ostriches? It's bit of a poor joke about them having wings but not being able to fly, just like you've got stories but don't always know how to use them ;) )Told you it was corny!The good news is that there are some tools which help you get the skills of using stories down to a fine art - and if I'm doing my job right will be quicker for you to master than air-magic!Here's a few ideas that might help1) Keep a journalThink of the ability to tell stories as a skill just like playing the drums or speaking Spanish (I'm trying to do both and not making as much progress as I'd like).When you do your drum practice (or whatever!) you don't just hit the drums... or at least you shouldn't. What you do is do something, and then consciously think about if it worked or not - and then move on to consciously thinking about how to make it work better the next time. Storytelling is like that. Take a moment to consciously reflect on what you were doing when it worked and (sorry!) on what you were doing when it didn't. Keep a journal and you'll soon spot the pattern.As a bonus, you could include stuff from other people, too!2) Watch advertsNot just any old advert, obviously...Find an advert you particularly like and get it recorded.Now, think about the story of the advert, and play it over and over, one or two seconds at a time. Keep pausing to ask yourself "What did they do in that two seconds that moved the story on?" and "What did they leave undone but which somehow moved things forwards?". For example, if someone puts on a white lab coat, what does the coat tell you? And why weren't they wearing it at the start of the advert?Oh, and why adverts? Becuase they're mini-presentations that provoke action and do it in a very short period of time. 3) Get the starter pack!I've put together a short book that covers some of the basic tools - at least a couple of which will help you. In fact, as a full-on-reluctant, I hope they all will! :) Get a copy of the Reluctant Starter here.4) Talk to meHonestly, I know you're expecting this as an outcome from taking this quiz but I'm not like that. (Try the quiz again with faked answers if you don't believe me :) ). There are very few places on the Relecutant Storyteller programme and you sound like you'd really benefit from it. I want you to do at least one of three things:ONE. Grab an online virtual coffee with me - for free - to see if the Reluctant Storyteller is a fit for you. Do it here.TWO. Take five minutes to have a look at the Reluctant Storyteller page and see if it feels like something you've got the time and resources for. The details are here.THREE. Get a copy of the introduction techniques book I've mentioned above. You can get it here. Don't forget to sign up for for updates if you like what you've seen.Take a Break From Scrolling – Let Me Introduce Myself...Hey there. I'm Simon. I started my working life as a research scientist - my PhD was looking for environmental causes of childhood leukaemia. I got into presentations training because I realised how bad most scientists were at explaining what they do, so I started to research how to communicate. I've also been a playwright, author, lighting designer for dance companies and a fire eater. Honestly. I started the Reluctatant Storyteller programme because I got more and more frustrated with so-called presentation skills trainers who were making money out of their instinctive ability to tell stories but who couldn't help people learn how to do it.It's a passion project for me.
4.
Reluctant Storyteller type: lion!
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You are loud, proud, and refuse to apologize for it – and why should you? How you feel is how you feel, and you don't see the point in fighting against that. Friends and family feel a pull to your bright, bold energy. You've got a knack for lighting up any room!All of that is fantastic - and you don't need the Reluctant Storyteller training! Go well!You might know someone who does though, so if you're feeling kind, pass this quiz on to them and enjoy the karma! :)Take a Break From Scrolling – Let Me Introduce Myself...Hey there. I'm Simon. I started my working life as a research scientist - my PhD was looking for environmental causes of childhood leukaemia. I got into presentations training because I realised how bad most scientists were at explaining what they do, so I started to research how to communicate. I've also been a playwright, author, lighting designer for dance companies and a fire eater. Honestly. I started the Reluctatant Storyteller programme because I got more and more frustrated with so-called presentation skills trainers who were making money out of their instinctive ability to tell stories but who couldn't help people learn how to do it.It's a passion project for me.