Next level communicators use windows.
Next level communicators use windows.
I once heard a talk about integrity, and the need to be people of truth. To make his point the speaker shared a story where Mark Twain had stolen a watermelon, sat down and took a bite. It was at this moment where Twain said he felt a weird sensation come over him, so he got up, went back to the cart where he had taken the melon…and exchanged it for a ripe one! The audience roared in laughter. Why? Well, because we assumed the “weird sensation,” Twain felt was a sense of guilt for his theft. But we had the rug pulled from under us, as Twain returned the sour piece of fruit for a sweet one. What a masterful illustration, right? It has the element of surprise, along with humor, and sets the table to move right into application. In fact, if I were telling the story (Who am I kidding. I should say, “When I tell this story.”) I would wait for the laughter to die down and then I would say something along the lines of, “You know, while it’s more than okay to laugh at Twain, a lack of integrity is never something to giggle about.” And then I’d move right into applications of how we see people “stealing melons” today, whether it’s infidelity, dishonesty with taxes, a failure to disclose the whole truth and so on. A great illustration will take our presentations to the next level.
Today I want to talk about how to illustrate well. Whenever I put a talk together, I always use the scaffold of explanation/illustration/application to shape the body of my presentation. Explanations make the point. Applications are like mirrors, as they show the people themselves in the point. And illustrations are like windows where we help our audience to clearly see the point we have just made.
Boredom is the cardinal sin of communicators, so we have to learn the skill of illustrating well. Whenever you use illustrations, ask yourself the following:
What is the point I want to make? Remember the explanation/illustration/application structure is sequential. Before you get to the illustration, you have to make your point abundantly clear. Don’t think illustration first, and then try to make your point squeeze into the story; that’s no good. Begin with the point. Get certainty on that, and then search for the right story or anecdote. Back to the Twain story, we knew the speaker's whole argument centered around the importance of integrity. Now, once he made his point, he was ready to illustrate.
Have I set up the illustration well? Good explanations use repetition to make their point, and the last time you should repeat the point is right before the illustration. Think setup then punchline, but your punchline is the illustration, and your setup is the point. Comedians do this all the time. They will make a point and then move to some story or anecdote, which in our world is the illustration. By the way, I would encourage you to stay away from statements like, “And to illustrate this well, here’s a story…” That’s too mechanical. Just flow from explanation to illustration. A really good setup is all you need.
Does this illustration clearly make my point? Key word here is “clearly”. One of the mistakes we can make as communicators is find a really cool story and force it to fit into our talk because, well, it’s a really cool story that kind of, sort of, maybe makes the point. Remember, illustrations are windows to your point, and what we can’t have are foggy windows where the audience is left guessing what you are trying to say. It has to be clear…like crystal clear. If people are still trying to make sense of your analogy after you’ve moved on, then they are not listening to what you are currently saying. Write this down: A great illustration is one where the audience gets the point before you give the point.
Is this illustration concise? Remember, your point is the steak of your talk, and the illustration is the seasoning. Too much salt will ruin the steak. Be concise. A basic principle of communication is the more words one uses, the greater the likelihood of confusion. As you think through your message, explanations should be longer than your illustrations.
Are my illustrations varied? We tend to illustrate what interests us. If you’re into sports, don’t be surprised if most of your illustrations are from the sports world. Same for genres of movies, media, reading and so on. Left to myself, all of my illustrations would be historical, because I am a lover of history. The problem is my audience is varied, and not everyone enjoys everything I like. So one of my growth points as an illustrator is to vary my illustrations, thinking of women, younger generations and people who enjoy different things. This takes a lot of work, but it’s worth it. Remember, we will attract who we speak to, and if you only speak to people who share your interests, don’t be surprised if your audience is filled with people just like you, or if you only get invitations to speak at a certain kind of event. We should all be like Ray Charles, who could give you country, gospel and R&B all on the same album!
What’s my system for capturing illustrations? Everything is an illustration. Whenever we read a book, see a movie or take a walk, stories and anecdotes abound. I left the house once to go on a five hour road trip where I had to speak at an event. About an hour into the trip I realized I left my wallet at home and it was too late to go back to get it. Talk about being frustrated. I had needs coming up. How was I going to pay for gas, food, and what was I going to do if I got a flat tire or broke down? My frustration wasn’t over a lack of resources- I had plenty in my bank account. I was frustrated because I couldn’t access them. Then it hit me. I looked at my cell phone and realized I had something called “Apple Pay” on my phone, which allowed me to access the resources in my accounts and apply them immediately to my needs. I recall thinking, this would be a great illustration for a talk I was going to give on the Holy Spirit, and how He helps us access the abundant resources God has for us. Immediately, I made a voice note in an illustration file on my phone, and it’s become one of the most effective stories I have used. All I needed to do was to think illustratively, and have a system to capture. What’s your system?
What I’m Reading:
Note: Can I just tell you how amazing, Theo of Golden is! Talk about an illustration gold mine. I’ve never said this to you before, but you have to read this book. Best book I’ve read in fifteen years.
Alive: How the Resurrection of Christ Changes Everything, by Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer.
