Crafting a compelling story is both a science and an art form. The components need to be artistically woven together. My guest Christopher Carter and I discuss how to do that in this episode.
For over 17 years Christopher Carter was one of the most popular corporate entertainers in the country. He mixed illusions with people-reading skills to make it look like he could read people’s minds. Now he travels the world teaching others how to use communication and listening skills to improve their lives.
Christopher’s relationship with stories began early in his career. When he was in the academic world, he got a PhD in theater at the University of Michigan. Then he made the switch from the academic theater world to the entertainment world as a mentalist (he made it look like he could read people’s minds). In that world of entertainment stories are fundamental. From there, delved into the world of public speaking, where mastering storytelling came into play as a result of being in the entertainment world.
The Fundamentals of Great Storytelling
One thing that became the most fundamental for Christopher in the speaking world was that the stories had to be true and had to be authentic to him. In other words, Christopher couldn’t go into the realm of business stories with random tales about random topics. He had to create a store of business stories that came from his own experiences and still related to the business world at large. With that Christopher realized you must have unique stories to be successful at public speaking.
The first story that you need to tell onstage is about who you are and how you got there; why you are there. Without that core of credibility, anything else you talk about isn’t going to be worth anything. Each story needs to be unique in the sense that it’s personal and it’s true. “Personal” means that it touches on your personal life as well as involving stories from your experiences the business world.
Which Stories to Keep and Which Ones to Let Go
Everyone has different opinions about this. Christopher believes that a great story must be innately entertaining on its own outside of the moral or the message that it conveys. He likes his stories to have “beats” where the audience laughs, and their energy goes up. The stories have a message, a kernel of wisdom that he’s trying to convey.
The stories he keeps are the ones that combine the wisdom he imparts along with the sheer entertainment value of the stories themselves. If they don’t fit that criteria the stories don’t get shared onstage.
In this episode we also discuss:
• How personal to get with the stories you tell on stage.
• The definition of “wisdom” and how to share it effectively.
• A personal example of great storytelling from Christopher’s talks.
• How to develop deeper meaning with your stories.
• The one thing, above all else, you need to do when crafting compelling stories in the speaking world.
…and other golden nuggets of advice!
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About My Guest
Christopher Carter began his career teaching theater and communication at the university level. Then he took an unexpected detour to become a professional illusionist. For over twenty years he performed around the world at college campuses, theaters, and corporate events. During this time he entertained at over 3000 college campuses, and over 1000 corporate events. He performed for dozens of celebrities, including Donny and Marie Osmond, Martin Short, Oprah, even the president of Qatar.
In 2010 Christopher began teaching leaders how to use presentation skills to enhance their professional presence, build trust, and increase their influence.
Christopher believes that the same skills used by an entertainer to command the stage can be used by anyone in business to control the room, look confident under fire, and “show up” with confidence and authenticity in practically any situation.
As a speaker Christopher has created custom presentations for some of the nation’s top corporations, including Exxon/Mobile, United Airlines, John Deere Equipment, Jacuzzi, and Wells Fargo.
Learn more about Chris! www.christophercarter.com
