Become a Storyteller People Want to Listen To

Anyone who has heard me speak knows that I'm a big time believer in the art and power of storytelling. Every speech I deliver is generously laced with stories that amuse, inform, entertain and challenge my audiences.

Ever since we were young children we've had a hunger for stories and this hunger does not vanish with age. I read recently that we, as adults, listen to over 100,000 stories a year and I have no difficulty believing it. I think the number is actually higher when you consider that one phone call from a friend can contain over a dozen stories.

If I were asked to identify the secret to successful public speaking I would say, without hesitation, the ability to tell a great story.

Storytelling isn't just vital to public speakers, it is a very important skill to have in any social situation.

To learn more about how you can master the captivating art of storytelling in your personal and professional life visit my storytelling website.                  

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A Speaker's Lesson Learned

No matter how long you have been speaking there are still lessons to be learned and I learned a huge one earlier this month in the province of Manitoba. I was booked to do two, one hour presentations to the Eastern Manitoba Dairy Farmers annual conference in the beautiful little town of Steinbach Manitoba.. The flight from Hamilton ON was terrific. There is something awe inspiring about flying at 41,000 feet in the autumn moonlight.

The accommodations were clean and comfortable and I certainly was well fed by friendly hospitable farm folk. "So what's the problem?" you ask. Well it was in the set-up of the hall. The conference took place in a rather large one room community hall just outside of Steinbach. The fact that it was in ONE room was the problem.

The planners had the hall divided into two sections separated by a large blue curtain. On the right side of the curtain was the speaking and eating area. On the left side was the sponsor's display area. The sponsors had their booths set up to attract potential customers and the farmers flocked to their section to chat with friends and representatives from the various sponsoring companies. The laughter and the social interaction was a pleasure to behold. Until it was my time to speak that is.

It was only when I began to speak that I became aware of the competing noise level coming from the other side of the blue curtain. It was totally distracting and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The sponsors had every right to interact with the farmers. They were paying the bills for the conference and I was only an invited guest hired by the planners to present two talks on humor and human relationships.

The only thing that saved my sanity was the magnetic power of humor and laughter. The more the audience laughed the more the people from the other side of the curtain were drawn to see what was so funny. I survived the first day but the second day was no better. The same thing happened, plus a few crying babies.

THE LESSON LEARNED??? Always ask about the set-up of the room or hall. You can bet that from now on I will want to know if the sponsors will be in the same room as the speakers. If they are I will either decline the invitation or increase my fee to include combat pay.

It was a frustrating but fun experience. I got good coverage from the Winnipeg affiliate of CTV and the people really enjoyed my message and my style of delivery. In spite of the distractions I remained calm and focussed. If I had become flustered I think the audience would have reacted negatively towards me. Another lesson learned.

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Cartoon Humor in Public Speaking

How to Use Cartoon Humor in Public Speaking By Mike Moore

I have been drawing and selling my own cartoons for about 35 years and have used them in just about every speech I’ve ever given. There is something about funny cartoons that captivates an audience and helps a public speaker get a point across quickly and effectively.

For example, I was planning a seminar on the value of appreciation and praise in the workplace when I got the idea for this cartoon. I have a worker standing before a back patting device in his office. For 25 cents you can have this machine give you a much needed pat on the back. The worker is about to receive his pat on the back as he thinks, “ Oh well, it’s a start.”

This specific cartoon helps stimulate discussion on the value of appreciation and praise in the workplace. I encourage you as a speaker to use cartoons in your talks. If you can’t draw them yourself, collect them for use in your speeches. Always try to seek permission from the cartoonist before you use one of their cartoons.

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52 Motivational Cartoons for speakers

Cartoons for Speakers, Trainers and Teachers

Five reasons speakers, trainers and teachers should always use cartoons in their presentations

1. Cartoons can get a point across quickly and clearly

2. They spark audience attention and interest

3. They can lighten up serious, heavy material

4. They promote audience recall of your content

5. Cartoons make your powerpoint graphics come alive

Above is an example of a cartoon I use in my presentations.

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cartoons for speaker

Get your copy of my popular manual " Public Speaking for Profit and Pleasure"


You know, it's in the best interest of everyone to become a confident, articulate and interesting speaker. I know that the fear of speaking in public is the #1 human fear but it certainly doesn't have to be.

Public Speaking: From Fearful to Fearless in 4 Weeks
Overcome your fear of speaking in public

How to Use Humorous One-liners in Your Speeches

I find that brief, humorous one-liners tend to fit better into the flow of a speech than longer forms of humor and are much easier to use, especially for beginners. Here are a few examples of one line humor and how I connect them to various speech topics. The first thing I do is take a look at my preparation notes and see if I can insert a relevant one liner into the content and flow of the talk. To do this I use the following format:

1. Speech Topic - List all your speech topics. You might have four or five specific topics upon which you build presentations.
2. One liner - Go to your files and select those one liners that could be used in each speech topic. Every speaker should be a collector of humor related to the subjects they speak about.
3. Context - Write the context out in point form or in paragraph form to make sure you know how and when to use the one liner in the speech.


Here are a few examples of one liners I use in my talks and how I insert them following this format.

* If speaking on the topic of diet and wellness this is an effective bit of humor, “ If we are what we eat, many of us are in serious danger of becoming french fries.” I establish the context like this: “The dietary habits of North Americans leave so much to be desired that if we are what we eat many of us are in danger of becoming french-fries. What you have to do is make sure that, in the flow of your speech, you include this context statement.

* If your presentation is on parenting or communication this one liner is a gift. I use it frequently and it always gets a laugh, “ Getting into an argument with a teenager is like getting into a peeing contest with a skunk. You’ll never win.” Set up the one liner like this, “ We all know the importance and the frustration involved in communicating with teenagers and many of us have come to the conclusion that communicating with a teenager is like getting into a peeing contest with a skunk...” Used like this the humor becomes a natural part of your talk. It isn’t merely inserted as an after thought. After I use this quote I proceed to tell a story from my own experience as a father which illustrates the truth of the one liner. ( Again I draw from my story files)


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