Lead Big or Go Home. Draw your listener in with the unexpected. A young man who was in treatment for substance abuse got the attention of his audience with his opening statement: “I come from a very loving family.” That was the last thing this group expected to hear as an opening line; and by the time the young man finished speaking, the audience members had laughed, cried and cheered him on.

Get to the Point. Leave the meandering to all of us who go for a leisurely stroll through the park. Your job is to have a clearly-defined and concise beginning, middle, and end to your story. Knowing the difference between building suspense and rambling aimlessly is a valuable skill.

Take Your Audience on a Journey. We all love adventure. Now that you know the importance of being concise, make sure your story includes enough detail so that your audience is experiencing exactly what you’ve experienced: joy, excitement, pain or suffering.

Follow these tips and your audience will become your advocates; your story will become their story as they spread your word throughout their circles.

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