When I think back over powerful speeches that I have heard, it is the stories that I remember most vividly. It is the stories that had the most impact.

Whenever you can use a story to illustrate a point, use it! We love to hear stories. Our imaginations are captured, and all of our senses are awakened. We also instinctively relate the story to our own life. Information is much more easily digested if we are involved with the material, and if we see how it applies to our life. Stories provide this connection.

Stories make a point--eloquently and without the audience feeling like they are being told what to think and feel. Many of us have a natural resistance, a desire to rebel, if we think we are being coerced into taking on a speaker's ideas. We don't want the speaker to "lecture" us. Stories allow your audience to "arrive" at your point on their own, by allowing their imaginations and creativity to participate.

When developing your stories use real life situations. When something interesting, touching, or funny happens to you, make note of it and you can use it in a future speech. Flesh out the details to make it vivid, and then pare it down to the most essential. First practice telling a new story in casual conversation. The reaction you get will provide valuable feedback on how to further develop your story.

Your life is a fertile garden of stories. Tend to your "aha" discoveries and harvest the universal truths they bear. As you begin to explore and relate your own stories, you will become aware of the interconnectedness of your stories to the stories of your audience.