How to Be a Great Storyteller

http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/how-to-be-a-great-storyteller-and-win-over-any-audience/6460?tag=content;drawer-container
1-First, determine who your audience is.


2-Second, put yourself in your audience’s shoes and ask three questions: 1) What’s in it for them, 2) why should they care, and 3) what criteria do they use to determine if whatever it is you’re pitching is a good idea or not.


3.Third, develop your story by satisfying those three questions.

Here are some examples:

• If you’re an entrepreneur pitching investors, your story could relate to the genesis of the idea - if it’s an interesting or amusing story - and how it will change the world, so to speak. If you can somehow relate it directly to investors as individuals, i.e. involving family, technology they might use, etc., that’s good but not necessary. 
• If you’re pitching potential customers, you can tell the story of how your product or service did something amazing for another customer and how that customer benefitted in terms of gaining market share, for example. 
• If it’s an elevator pitch about your company, don’t do the usual boring …

If it’s an interview and you’re asked to tell them about yourself, don’t just rattle off the companies you’ve worked for and your accomplishments.