Recently went to a presentation by Ron Tsang who is a Toastmaster at an Advance Club which means he makes a living doing presentations. He has written a book about storytelling and his studies are similar to yesterday’s post but slightly different.

A story is a narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end involving cause and effect. Stories stick to us because they can entertain, demonstrate, inform, persuade us or a combination of all the above. Mr. Tsang believes a story has 3 Acts or you can think of a 3 Act Play and he uses the 10 Cs.

Act 1

Context    –   what or why are you there?

Characters   – who?

Characteristics – what is unique about them?

Conversations  – what do they talk about?

Catalyst – what will change or lead to a change?

Conflict  – why are they at odds?

Act II

Complications   – why is the simple solution not easy?

Act III

Climax –  how does the solution work out?

Conclusion  – what do you want to reader or listen to do?

Connection  – why would the story resonate with the audience?

Linking to dividend paying stocks, there are different methods to tell a story, but one must be told to link to your audience to move them along the line to buy your good or service. How do you listen to stories? If you are dividend stock buyer, you want to hear the words profitability and dividend and long history of rising dividends very soon in the story or you will be thinking of alternatives.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.