It is important to remember that your audience may not know about the topic you are speaking about. They might not have direct experience with this issue. Sharing a personal story is one way to make it more real for them.
When planning your speech, think about whether there are one or two stories from your life that will help get your point across. You do not need to go into lots of detail or share anything you are uncomfortable with. If there is something that happened to you that shows the impact of your issue, think about whether it might be helpful to share it.
You could use your story at the beginning as the hook to get people interested, or it could be used to back up one of your arguments in the body of the speech.
Remember that all good stories have a beginning, middle and end. To tell a compelling story, make sure you share:
- The situation: What was happening at the time
- The actions: What actions were taken, by you and/or others
- The result: What the end result was
Using this method, your story will be easy to follow along with.
