Story Spark Day 6 Audience First – Tell Stories That Connect

Okay, good morning everyone, happy Sunday and welcome to day 6 of Story Spark session where we come every day for 15-20 minutes to take up one of the aspect of storytelling, maybe mindset, maybe learning the basics, maybe practicing the storytelling. So for the last 5-6 days, we have been working on the mindset, on the belief system, but now we are moving towards the collection, story collection and story crafting basics. Uh, there is this one important thing that we are going to do which is actually missed by a lot of speakers. So the difference between A storyteller, or a good storyteller and great storyteller, is— a good storyteller is mostly all about himself or herself. They're telling stories because they are me-centered. But a great storyteller is all about audience-centered. They know why they are telling the story. That is why today's activity is called— I'm going to share the screen— it's called Audience First. You should tell stories that connect with your audience. So your story is your story, but for your audience. So what we are going to do is we are going to do again an exercise as usual where I am going to give you time to reflect and think about why you are telling the story, who is going to be your audience, and what do they need to know, right? So Who is your audience? What do they need? And what are they going to get out of your story? So you can pick any story that you want to tell, but before you tell the stories, we are going to talk about something called EVO, which is Emotion Value Outcome. So get the pen and paper or digital notes ready because I, I am— we are going into that reflection mode So the first question that we are going to work upon is, who is your audience? So take few seconds, I'm gonna play the music and think about who exactly is your audience, who is it that you want to serve, right? It cannot be everyone in the world because if you're telling stories to everyone, you are practically telling no one. So think about who is your audience. Could be some individuals, it could be a group, a particular ethnicity, a particular characteristics, a particular age group, a particular gender, but think about who is your audience. And the second question is, what do they need? What is it that they really need to— they need to know this knowledge, this information, this aspect? And now we are going to a mini framework called EVO, which is an acronym. So E stands for emotion. This is the outcome of your storytelling. So when you're telling a story, what do you want your audience to feel as part of your story? So what is the emotion that you want to feel? You want to feel them— you want to make them feel hopeful. You want to make them feel ambitious, you want to make them feel excited. What is that 1 to 2 emotions that you want them to feel as part of your story? Number 2 is V. V stands for value. What is the value that you're going to give? Which means that what is the message, what is the outcome that you want them to take away with them. Like, if you remember in the storytelling framework, 5 Cs, this is the 5th C, carry out message. What is the takeaway that you want them? And the O stands for outcome, which is related to the actions or shift that they are going to make, right? For example, if your message is that they need to have consistency So the outcome would be they need to start posting stories, start making videos and posting stories just like the Desi post and Winkat post and Prem post. What is it the action that they need to do, the outcome? So the EVO formula is emotion, value, outcome. So now we'll take another minute and think about any story that you want to tell. If you have a story handy, that's great, but if you don't have story At least these are the 4 things that we're looking at. Number 1 is who is your audience? Number 2 is what is the emotion that you want them to feel as part of your story? Number 3, what is the value or message or takeaway message, carryout message they're going to have as part of your storytelling? And last one is the what is the action, what is the outcome, O is outcome. What is the outcome that they're going to have? What is the action that they're going to take? So once you have written all of this, if you have a story Then, yeah, I'd like you to keep a story between 1 to 2 minutes.

Let me pause the music from here.

We'll keep the story between 1 to 2 minutes, and once you have finished the story, I want all— I want you to also explain the audience emotion, value, and outcome as well, and we'll give feedback together. Okay, so yes, Venkat, you want to go first?

Yes, Haritosh Srivastav.

Okay, go ahead.

Last week my work was very hectic and I couldn't concentrate my personal goals. So every day I wake up 6:30, 7 o'clock and then go to office and return by 8 or 10 PM. So I didn't prepare any food for me because I'm a bachelor. I need to prepare my food for myself. So I could manage my food and exercise. And also I have some other personal goals that I couldn't concentrate for my personal development. So one of the things is last week we plan to go outing on this weekend. I, I, I need to prepare anything. I need to prepare something, but I missed to prepare something. At this, at the end, Friday night, 10 o'clock, we have bus. But up to 8 o'clock, I am working my office work, and 9 o'clock I need to leave. And also, I committed to do some activity. I'm, I, I have to do because Saturday, Sunday, no more I cannot do because of going outing. So within 1 hour I completed the activity. I pressurized myself because procrastination that created, created big pressure to me. So that's the reason I, I completed within 1 hour and I, I came to outing. Then I understand that what stops me to avoid procrastination, that is perfection. If we always approach for perfection, we do some procrastination. If we stop the procrastination, stop the perfection, then we complete the activity, then we go to other things. So from this I conclude that don't do always, uh, perfection. Don't do think of perfection. If we do perfection, then we delay the activity. Thank you all. My audience are— yes, above age 25. And, um, and the— my purpose of the, um, the story is influence others and change the world by their action. So I want to know their life purpose. That is my purpose of this storytelling.

Awesome. And how about— very good story. I'll ask you a couple of things and then we'll also get feedback from Dinesh. And yes, story power to you, great story. What a great start to the day. So what is the emotion you want them to feel? So that was one of the aspects.

Not feeling anything bad or worry about not completed the activity. So people are affected by their not completing their activity.

Yeah.

So basically, if I reframe that, you want them to feel motivated because you observe this lack of motivation to do things. Is that correct?

Yes, yes, yes.

Okay, and what is the action you want them to take?

So don't do for perfection.

Yeah, so that's— I think if I have to give feedback, that's the message that you have, that no— and I always say progress over perfection. And I always say, be a progressionist, don't be a perfectionist. So that's the message. I think you might want— if I have to give a feedback, you might want to ask them to take one action, that no, do that video, do that one action, do that one assignment, do that one activity that you've been holding on. Don't, don't be perfectionist, just do it, right? So inspire them to take an action. But yeah, great story, is awesome. Dinesh, do you want to give any feedback?

Sure. Very in the beginning only, Venkatesh sent me that 5 C's. That was very impressive. I loved them. Then I thought that I am hero, so I can add 5 C's anywhere, anytime, in any one of my story. But no, it is not that easy. Then I focus on one item. I started with the description, that I should give the description first, because that is the thing that will keep yourself connected. So slowly, slowly I did it, and I thought that I am a bit good at it. And then now I added emotion. How can I add emotion to it? So in my story, I started putting one or two sentences of that, and finally, what is there for me? So what is the outcome? So now I'm focusing on that. One of my last clip, that was the thing— what is the outcome? The story was different, the description was different, but the outcome was different. So I found that the main is outcome. So now I'm focusing on outcome. This is how I'm trying to practice and give input to all the C so that I slowly, slowly I develop each and every part of it.

Awesome, thank you so much. And that's a good feedback for Venkat as well. So now let's go to Dinesh. Dinesh would love to know if you want to share a story right now. If not, that's okay as well. But most importantly, I want to know the audience, the emotion, the value, and the outcome or action.

I am asking you, Haritosh Srivastav, that, for example, I, I, first of all, I need some time to answer these 4 questions.

Sure.

That is the number 1. And number 2, that even if I ask Venkatesh or yourself or myself, who are my audience? Then as on today, I think in the beginning it seems that everyone is my audience, and then I think slowly, slowly I will shift to my niche.

Yes.

So I don't know, I don't know, I might be wrong or No, there's nothing like wrong, and you're right.

I mean, generally that's how everybody starts, right? There are universal messages, but then you start concentrating on one particular segment, right? So, so if you plan to be a pod— you are a podcaster, you are a coach, as they say, right? If you're trying to be coach to everyone, then you end up becoming coach to no one, right? So that is where you need to think about. Like, if I take my own example There are a lot of storytelling, but my focus is more on storytelling for 3 segments, which is one is working professional, one is business owners, and one is coaches. I don't do kids storytelling, right? So I can do that, but I'm not— my focus is not on that, right? So I'm very clear that I don't work on those, or I don't work people who are retired— not maybe the right word to that— but who are not actively doing anything, because that is not my focus.

So my message is, as is generally around these 3 audiences.

Now that message may resonate with everyone, but I am trying to tell my stories which works wonder for them. So similarly, your message could be universal, but your focus should be that at least my audience should definitely get value out of it. Others may or may not get value, that, that is not your focus. Does that make sense?

Yes. I want to share my experience in this audience. Yes, first time I shared my story in a Japanese Toastmasters session. In this concept and conflict, everything is matching, but the context is not matching. Context means I am sharing my, uh, my Chennai story, Chennai bodybuilding story, and infrastructure of the India and infrastructure of the, uh, Japan— Japan is different. So context is different. So there is no value to share with this Japanese audience. So that's, that's the time I understand that this is the waste, there is to share, because the main context is missing. We have a conflict and keyword, everything is there, but the context is missing. So that I identified. Audience is not only the age group or the professional, but also our— because based on the our story also.

Yes, absolutely, absolutely. As they say, context over content. If I am— let's say I give you a formula to generate million dollars, for example, but if I don't give you the context that what this formula can do for you, how it can make you a fortune, you won't take it seriously. So that is why, if you see all the great speakers, they spend a good enough time, decent time to build the context that why this story is important, what can they do for you, what they were really feeling before they actually go into that conflict. So context setting is very important, whether in your professional presentation as well. This, this is something that I learned the hard way. It took me some time to learn. Because I was the IT guy, the transactional guy, I'll open the PPT, I'll go straight away to slide 2, 3, 4, 5, and the meeting is over. But I'll get feedback like, okay, that was good, but no, we didn't feel anything, we didn't like the presentation. And then one of my mentors or seniors said, you know, you're not setting the context. Why are you giving this presentation? Why this is so important for them to know this particular data? This particular metrics, this particular report. As I started doing that, and I actually started at times, I started spending 60-70% time over there, and they were like, wow, we really needed to hear this. So this is very, very important, setting the context for the right audience at the right time at the right place. Awesome. So Dinesh, you were talking about audience, so I hope you got some answers. You want to talk about emotions, value, outcome as well?

Yes, sure. As you said, for me, at least value is more important.

Yes.

And for that, I always wish that my children or my surrounding or my friend circle, whosoever are there, they should pay importance to values. So I am bit fussy about the values. So that is what I also want from them. And I teach, or I share values more compared to other facts. But with the values, they are of no use unless and until emotion is there.

Yes.

So, so let's slow— I'm trying to add emotion also to it, that see, your values are For example, I go and talk to senior citizens over here. So I tell them, "Try to maintain your values, your ethics, your roots." Then they say, "What for? Because this is the time to enjoy, this is the time to just spend money, whatever we have." Then I say, add emotion that, "Look, whatever you are doing, are they connected with your feelings or with the relation with your children, your grandchildren, your other relatives, then they get some seriousness and they think in a different way. Most important thing is, yes, emotion is very important, very important, very important. My wife was telling that In the beginning, when I came here, just to my grandchildren, I was always thinking that they should be disciplined. So what my wife said is, in India, okay, you were disciplined. Here it is not possible. Here I cannot even speak louder to the grandchildren.

I know what you're talking about. Yes.

Slowly, slowly I'm getting that change and it works very well. It works very well. Yes, yes. Today my grandchildren, they love us more than their parents. Awesome.

That's it.

Absolutely.

Very nice, very nice. And absolutely, you said emotions, as they say, is the glue that keeps your audience with you. So if you use the stories, don't have emotion, they can't feel anything, then they'll be like, okay, it was good, nice, but maybe it wasn't for me. It was something— this is where actually it goes from preaching to making them feel something, right? So we all, we have seen so many speakers who are very good, they'll do a lot of tantrums and, and things and moving and this and that. But you will not feel anything, and you'll, at the end of the day, you'll say, okay, yeah, good for him, but I don't feel connected to him or her. But there are speakers who don't move at all, who are just standing, but they will make you feel. And then you will see audience in queue waiting to thank you. I remember, last year, around on 30th of April, 2024, That was the day I put my resignation in my office, and there was Robin Sharma. I'm a big fan of Robin Sharma. So Robin Sharma was launching his book, and he came to London, and I was very excited. I went there, I attended his session, but more important than that, after the session, he was standing, and there were about 200 people in the queue. Waiting to spend 30 seconds with him. And what was more important was, for that 30 seconds which I had with Robin Sharma, I was at the end of the queue. So already there were 200 people who were there, and he was giving equal time and attention. But when I was there, he gave me complete focus, that, no, wow, I want to know more, and how you are, what you're doing, and I'm so excited, and all of those. That made it all worth it, and that is what made him the influencer that he is. So it's not about what he said afterwards or before, it's about how he made me feel for those 30 seconds. After that, he had many people, but for those 30 seconds, I got the focus from the Robin Sharma. That, that means the world to me. So this is how we need to do for our audience, make them feel valued by using our emotions. Awesome. So yes, today's StorySpark session went a little in detail, but that's okay. It is Sunday. We're gonna end as we end every day, which is having some affirmations. So I have the affirmations ready. You're gonna see it on your screen, and I will say it once, and then we'll all say it together. So going with the first affirmation: I tell stories with purpose. Now everyone I tell stories with purpose. Okay, the next one. I speak to— okay, one second. I speak to serve, not to impress.

Come on.

I speak to serve, not to impress.

Awesome. The third one. I craft every message with my audience in mind.

Everyone, I craft every message with my audience in mind.

Awesome. Story power to you. Have a great Sunday and look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Keep doing the great work both of you are doing, creating videos, sharing your message. So thank you so much. So proud of both of you, and thank you for being part of Confidence Storytelling Hub. Take care, stay safe, and stay blessed.

Happy Ram Naumi.

Happy Ram Naumi.

Thank you, thank you. Happy Ram.

Thank you.