The Power of Story and Science

Rebecca Murray: It's a playground, not a prison!

In this episode, you will hear a conversation with author, speaker, and entertainer Rebecca Murray. If you’re a scientist, do you ever think of yourself as an artist? Rebecca does. And she’s here to offer you five creative techniques you can use to engage your audience when you give a presentation—whether you give it in person or in a little box on a screen.

 

Engage with Rebecca by visiting https://rebeccapmurray.com/.

Mark Brown: We Bring Ourselves

In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Mark Brown, the 1995 World Champion of Public Speaking. You will hear about Mark’s unlikely path into a professional speaking career. Most important, you will hear what you can do in your presentations—no matter how technical the topic—to help your audience remember your points even years later.

 

Learn more about Mark by visiting https://markbrownspeaks.com/. Find his podcast (with previous guest Darren LaCroix), “Unforgettable Presentations,” wherever you get your podcasts.

Randy Olson: And, But, Therefore

This episode is a lively conversation with scientist-turned-filmmaker Randy Olson, who is widely credited with popularizing a simple, yet powerful, narrative structure based on three simple words. You will hear how Randy discovered this tool, why it is so powerful, how you can use it, and what a difference it can make in communicating about your work.

Randy’s latest book, “The Narrative Gym: Introducing the ABT Framework for Messaging and Communication” is available from Amazon and other retailers.

Michael Davis: Speak to Elicit Emotion

In this episode, you will hear from my colleague and fellow speaking coach Michael Davis. You’ll learn the reason why speakers tell stories. You’ll pick up on what makes a story—why it’s not just a collection of events. And why stories are the key to engaging your listeners in a way that you simply can’t do with data and evidence.

To get Michael’s free series of storytelling tips, go to http://52storytellingtips.com.

To engage with program host David Otey, visit https://davidotey.com/.

Who am I to speak?

This episode draws its content from Chapter One of the soon-to-be-released third volume in the “Speaker’s Quick Guide” series of books by podcast host David P. Otey. That book is titled The Speaker’s Quick Guide to Presenting with Confidence: Overcome Self-doubt and Embrace the Power of your Message. It is expected out in early 2021. Today we explore the question, “Who am I to speak?”

This episode is sponsored by the online course "Own the Virtual Stage: Confidently Connect with an Unseen Audience." More information is at https://www.ownthevirtualstage.com/. 

Darren LaCroix: Get the Book!

In this episode, you will get to meet one of my speaking mentors, Darren LaCroix. Apart from being the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren is an inspiration to me because he continues to hone his craft and to help other speakers do the same. If he can become a comedian without a funny bone in his body, you can be an effective speaker—even if you’re an introvert!

Here are three ways to continue learning from Darren:

Listen to the “Unforgettable Presentations” podcast with Mark Brown at https://www.unforgettablepresentationspodcast.com/

Go to https://www.beasponge.com/ for immediate Speaking Mistakes downloads and weekly insights.

Or, if you’re serious about improving as a presenter, visit https://stagetimeuniversity.com/

Patricia Fripp: It's Clarity, NOT Dumbing-Down!

In this episode, you will hear a conversation I had with Patricia Fripp, a superstar in the world of professional speakers and speaking coaches. Fripp is known for her focus on precise language and for her coaching of executives and sales professionals. Here her focus is on her work helping scientists and engineers tell their stories.

You can find free resources to help you with your presentations, along with other ways to engage with Fripp, by visiting https://www.fripp.com/.

Keith Bailey on Unintentional Audience Abuse

This episode is the continuation of a two-part conversation with master storyteller and coach Keith Bailey. If you have not already listened to “Keith Bailey and the Bottomless Story Well,” I urge you to find that episode and listen to how he drew out of me a story I had never told before that moment. As we continue, you will hear the conversation shift more toward the science of how we perceive stories and why they are an important tool for anyone with quantitative information to share.

Keith mentions the late Professor Patrick Winston, longtime director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and his work on how we perceive and respond to stories. You can read Keith’s full blog post (which links to Prof. Winston’s video) here.

You can reach Keith by email using keithbailey (at) stage-coaching.com, or visit his website at https://www.articulated-intelligence.com/.

Keith Bailey and the Bottomless Story Well

This episode is the first of a two-part interview with Keith Bailey, former fitness coach and master salesperson turned speaking coach for business. Learn about the techniques Keith uses to help business speakers develop their stories. (Scientists can use it, too!) Hear him use it to draw a new story from me, unrehearsed.

You can reach Keith by email using keithbailey (at) stage-coaching.com, or visit his website at https://www.articulated-intelligence.com/.

You can also visit host David P. Otey at https://davidotey.com. 

 

Q and A: Purpose, Story and Scientific Rigor

Today you’re going to hear a Q and A episode in which I answer some of the questions I have been asked about topics that come up in my workshops, most notably the one titled “The A.R.T. of Connecting.” In my answers, you will gain deeper insights into storytelling, scientific rigor, and the development and use of specific purpose as a content filter.

In this episode, David makes reference to his book, The Speaker's Quick Guide to Telling Better Stories, which can be found here.