In general, storytelling makes for one of the most effective techniques for delivering any type of content to an audience – and it is no different in the case of a webinar either. It is also among the traditional ways to attract the attention of your audience and leave a lasting impression on them. With the right storytelling techniques, even the most complex topics become easily comprehensible, and you’ll be engaging audiences like never before.
But is audience engagement really as simple as turning to ‘storytelling’ to deliver webinar content? Well, storytelling comprises certain techniques and nuances that need to be executed appropriately. This, alongside a few other parameters, can positively impact your attendee engagement rates and work in your favor.
In this article, we’ll walk you through why storytelling works in webinars, how to develop storytelling skills and some storytelling best practices and techniques that can help deliver impactful and engaging webinars.
Also Read – What exactly is content engagement?
Why does storytelling work out well?
One of the reasons why it works so well is because storytelling appeals to a fundamental side of the human experience. It is a powerful tool that can assist you in illustrating concepts, clarifying abstract ideas, and also demonstrating their real-life applications to your target audience.
Stories help us relate unfamiliar concepts to the real world. Storytelling involves several facts and figures, connected by the narrative, all of which come together to hold your audience’s attention..
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that ‘storytelling’ is a children’s activity or that it involves dragons and fantastical plots. When we say storytelling in webinars, all it means is that your content has a strong narrative, includes emotions and perhaps even a bit of theatrics, and is delivered in a way that is entertaining and arresting for your attendees.
Leverage the 4 pillars of storytelling to give your professional webinar that extra edge – People, Places, Purpose and Plot. By including these four aspects in your webinar narrative, you will be able to appeal to your audiences and stand out from any other webinar that they may have attended.
When done properly, this leads to a clear understanding of the message you provide in the webinar, ultimately boosting conversion rates, increased audience engagement, higher retention rates, and most importantly, helping to generate leads in your webinar.
Storytelling Techniques in Webinars – How Does It Work?
Storytelling does help define complex concepts in simpler terms, but how does it actually work? As mentioned, there are several techniques by which storytelling can be executed effectively. Take a look at the section below on how it works and how you can incorporate the technique in your webinars!
Focus on the Story
At first, you should focus on the story and how you will present it to your audience to hold their attention throughout the webinar.
Crafting the Structure of the Story
To create an effective story for your webinar topic, you need to build the structure of the story first! A compelling story really goes by these three elements: the set up, the crux, and the resolution. Here’s how you can incorporate it during your event.
The Set up- Building the Scene
First, set up the story with a scenario that most people can relate with. A status-quo, if you will. This will help you set the stage for your webinar and you’ll be able to grab attendance from the very beginning of the event. For example, you can start with presenting a scenario which is a common problem in many people’s daily lives! Now, introduce the main character of the story, which can be a composite character, or you can also pick an attendee at random, with their permission. The latter can be more rewarding as the other attendees will empathize with their peer and stay engaged with the story.
The Crux- Depicting the Journey
This part is the most important part of the story, where you need to establish the conflict or the challenge that the protagonist has to overcome.
Use descriptive words to walk your audience through the struggles encountered by the protagonist, and incorporate elements that will encourage the audience to empathize with him/her. This will help establish a deeper connection with the webinar attendees and hold their attention.
However, in all of this, it is crucial to remember not to get too dramatic or over-emphasize on the struggles because the context of the webinar is still professional. So maintain the balance between emotional but not sappy and professional but not too passive.
The Resolution: Depict the Outcome
You have built the story with emotion, and now you can conclude the story with an effective outcome! Showcase the transformation that has taken place, and highlight the strategies that helped the protagonist overcome his/her struggles.
Include graphic descriptions of the resolution and the euphoria that follows the resolution. This will help build a sense of victory in the attendees too.
Now that you have a fair understanding of the basic structure of stories, we’ll walk you through several techniques by which you can make your story a compelling one!
Use Metaphors and Analogies
Metaphors and analogies will not only make your story sound beautiful but also provide clarity. These are powerful storytelling tools that can bring out the emotion in your webinar participants and make them relate to their own lives.
These primarily help the listeners to visualize the scene in their minds, which is crucial to retaining their attention and interest.
Interact with your Audience
Webinars are considered one of the prime examples of two-way communication. Telling a story is a decent way to grab the attention of the attendees, but they might not be attentive for long if the communication comes from only one direction.
Convert your live webinar to a collaborative session through some interactive elements like:
- Q&As – Open the floor for live questions and answers which will help you make an interactive webinar.
- Use Polls and Quizzes – Integrate live polls along with quizzes, which will help you gain valuable insights as well as test the engagement levels of the participants.
5-Quick Steps & Tips to Make Webinars More Interactive
Apply Visual Storytelling
Pictures depict more than words, as they help break the monotony of text, boost engagement among your webinar attendees, and eventually help them remember the points well. To use visuals effectively, you can apply –
- Videos and Animations: You can bring short videos and animations to your webinar to bring stories to life.
- Slide Decks – You can also use some appealing slides in your webinar presentations to support your narrative. This might include images, bullet points, and charts that explain the key concepts of your story.
More Tips to Use Storytelling in your Webinar
The perfect way to use the storytelling process in your webinar is by crafting the plot of the story around a pain point that your audience may be facing in their day to day professional life.
Make sure that your story has an emotional backdrop, but not too much either. Provide them with a range of emotions within a storyline that is light-hearted and fun to keep them engaged.
Don’t get confused between telling a story and promoting your product, as you’ve got to do both things at the same time. Telling a unique story to the attendees might make them enthralled, but if they don’t see the value you’re trying to project, they may not really convert into a customer!
Bottom Line
Storytelling can add a whole different flavor to a webinar, helping you not only keep your audience engaged but also build an emotional bond with them.
Apply the aforementioned storytelling techniques, and you’ll see yourself hosting more effective webinars in no time at all!
FAQs
Some of the best types of stories that work great for webinars are – personal anecdotes, customer success stories, several case studies, and even some fictional narratives! While presenting a story at your webinar, make sure that it is in line with your event’s purpose and objectives.
You need to maintain a balance between the two. You need to ensure that your story doesn’t dominate the webinar entirely; rather, it should also focus on the facts and figures you want to present to the participants based on which they will take action!
You should definitely script the key points that need to be present in the webinar. Provide a natural touch while telling the story; allow space for some spontaneous flow, or else it will seem too rehearsed and impersonal, and the attendees might relate with the story.
