Have you ever noticed that the the most charismatic people all share something in common? If you think of the most likable person in your group of friends, or the most charismatic politician you can think of, or your most memorable teacher, odds are that the thing they have in common: the ability to tell a good story.

The power of the story cannot be overstated; we are social beings and a well-crafted story helps the listeners to intimately relate with the storyteller. This is why the best authors - even if they are scoundrels or are centuries old- still have universal power.

Storytelling however is not a static art: as new media evolves, so does the way in which we tell stories. A good example is the evolution from the picture, to the silent movies, to the modern day blockbuster; stories now can be told in an entirely new way than a century ago. More recently, with the interconnectivity of media and the power of the Internet a new way of storytelling has emerged: the Alternative Reality Game or ARG.

An ARG can best be summed up as a complex and subtle way of telling a story, which requires a large and collaborative audience to work together. Usually, the story will be cryptic and will be put across via multiple media sources.

Recently, my nephew was suggesting that I should watch the television show Lost . He told me that during one of the recent episodes, a phone number flashed on one of the television screens in the show. Surprisingly, it wasn’t one of those bogus 555 numbers. Intrigued, he called the number and surprisingly an automated voice message responded saying that once more information was known about the crash of flight 816 (the fictional plane in Lost), it would be available at this number. He said that it was fascinating: a fictional show having a real telephone number. It is through this overlapping that the ARG gets its name: the telephone number is offering an alternative reality by blurring the lines between obvious fiction and the mundane world.

Further, ARGs have a natural communal aspect: by offering non-obvious hints and clues, the story of the ARG requires an active community to hypothesize and piece things together. An example here would be the piecing together of clues left by Trent Reznor and 42 Entertainment for his new album Year Zero . Cryptic clues left in his songs, t-shirts, and purposely planted flash-drives were posted on on-line forums and pieced together by the fan community at large, which led to proxy web-sites , phone numbers and eventually a special concert given for those die-hard players.

This is its power: the ARG tells stories in a completely different fashion – a fashion only recently available. Unlike most television shows and movies, the ARG is interactive, not passive, communal, not isolated. Thus the ARG is powerful in a different way than the usual story: it is more about the audience than about the storyteller. By breaking down the traditional “fourth wall,” the audience has an active and essential role in the development of the story itself. Anything that includes the audience in such a way cannot help but be thoroughly engaging.

Now what can be gleaned from the new ARG phenomenon? Well, one of the places that the power of the story can be most effective – but is often underused – is during presentations and public speaking. This is especially true when the presentations are of a technical nature meant to convey important information. Usually in an attempt to be as precise and as professional as possible, the presenter comes across as boring or out of touch. This is counter-productive: the bored mind does not absorb information like engaged mind. The perfect remedy to this situation? the story.

Learning from ARGs, getting audience participation in the story can be even more powerful than just telling a story to a passive audience, no matter how interesting. How this can be used in presentations? By being more interactive: instead of standing rigid on the stage, try moving into the audience; instead of just using your voice, try using several media sources to get your point across; instead of turning your presentation into a lecture, try getting the audience involved in the story by asking questions and letting their answers help guide the way you tell it. For instance, in our , I tell a story about delivering a presentation at the companies annual sales kickoff. I ask the audience, “How many of you have attended an annual sales kickoff?”That’s followed by, “How many people attended?” to make the point that it’s usually a large audience event.I’ll also describe a typical day-in-the-life of a sales kickoff and ask people, “Does that sound like your kick-offs or conferences?” Finally, I’ll even ask them, “After the dinner, then what happens?” Invariably, someone will say something like, “We start drinking” which is exactly where the story is going next. This interactivity makes storytelling more fun for the audience and for the teller.

Once you’ve become an accomplished storyteller, you will have mastered most of the skills necessary to be a charismatic speaker.

For more on storytelling, go to our article “Creating A Story.”

Author's Bio: 

Terry Gault is a coach, trainer, and consultant in presentation and communications skills. He has worked with clients such as Oracle, GE, Wells Fargo, Visa, EMC, eBay, etc. In addition, Terry oversees all curriculum, services and selection, training and development of all trainers and facilitators for The Henderson Group. He also had a 20 year career in the theater working as an actor, teacher, director, writer and producer. In addition, Terry worked in sales and management in the building industry for over 10 years. Please visit www.hendersongroup.com/art_pres_info.asp for more information.