Presentations - Stories and Purpose

You Tell Better Stories when You Know Their Purpose

What are the 3 purposes of a story?

The main purposes of a story are to:

· Inform

· Persuade

· Entertain

What do you mean by ‘Inform’?

Inform stories include the stories you tell a friend, or read in biographies or autobiographies. Inform stories have lots of stated or implied ‘next’, ‘then’, ‘after that’. The events are arranged in a sequence. The sequence can be time-related or place-related. The purpose of an inform story is to give facts and information.

What do you mean by ‘Persuade’?

Persuade stories are the stories you would tell in a business presentation. They include motivational and inspirational accounts. The format is usually problem–hardship–success. The main character wants to attain a goal. Events do not go well. The character struggles but perseveres. The character succeeds. The purpose of a persuade story is to convince the audience that they can achieve their own goals or the business’ objectives when they persevere.

What do you mean by ‘Entertain’?

Entertain stories are fun stories. They include humorous anecdotes, jokes, light-hearted stories. Their purpose is to raise a smile.

Conclusion

There are three main purposes when telling a story.

· Inform – to give facts where the details are arranged in a sequence

· Persuade – to motivate and inspire the audience to be better

· Entertain – to produce a pleasant experience for the audience

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