Great communicators are great storytellers. In fact, the greatest storyteller of all times, Jesus, told stories every time He taught. Parables are stories and He always used them.
"Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In
fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables...Mark 4:33-34."
Share about people's journeys instead of just dumping facts on your audience. People want to hear stories about other people's struggles and victories rather than just having a bunch of stats dumped on them. Put a face to the facts.
Suprise them. We are wired to pay attention to the unexpected. Add some unexpected twists and turns to your story to engage your audience.
Vary the rate of speed and volume of your voice. Hit all ranges of your voice level. Sometimes talk loud and sometimes whisper. A monotone voice level will hypnotize your listeners into a state of monotony and boredom.
Be excited about your topic. Enthusiasm will draw people in. If you're not excited about the subject, then you can be sure your audience won't be excited as well.
Use familiar objects to illustrate your story. Jesus did this often. He illustrated topics by using objects that the people of his day knew about and could relate to. Birds of the air. Fish of the sea. A door. Sheep. Wolves. Coins. Houses.
Invite people to bring their imagination with them. As you paint the picture with your words, encourage your audience to construct it in their head. Ask them to "picture this."
Imagine you are witnessing the story live. Place yourself in the story as an observer. Imagine the coat of many colors from the story of Joseph and describe what you are seeing with your audience?
Highlight the emotional elements of the story. Emotions are the cement of learning and can help you be a great storyteller. Ask your audience to imagine what they would have felt if they had been Joseph when he was betrayed by his brothers and sold off as a slave bound for Egypt. Ask them to imagine the fear Peter felt when he was trying to walk on the water.
When people refer to someone as a great speaker, you can rest assured there were some stories shared.
Try it next time you speak. Add in some stories and use the other elements listed above. You'll captivate your audience.