Most of the time, we have to struggle just to cram into our presentations all those compelling facts, figures and supporting data that we assume will overwhelm all doubt and make the case for our side. However, you know the old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words?” Well, that is often just as true for word pictures as it is for visual pictures. A word picture can be any sophisticated bit of imagery, including similes and metaphors. The best word picture, however, is a simple story. For instance, if you are trying to make the case for sending contributions to disaster victims, you could go on and on with reams of statistics about property damage and monetary losses and the number of homeless. Or, you could tell the story of one family, explain what they lost, and describe what they are facing now. That one family in turn represents all those other faceless families hidden behind your reams of numbers. Any time you can tell a story, you make a presentation more personal for your audience, which means you are much more likely to get a personal, and committed, response.
