Ameera Chowdhury tells a great story that reveals there is more to her than her good girl, unassuming appearance might indicate.   Please listen to the story first, then see if some of her techniques might work well for you, too.

“I know what you are thinking”

In the first seven seconds Ameera describes having “delinquent taste in music.” It immediately adds depth to her good girl looks. It also creates curiosity to some hidden secret. People can’t help but judge a book by it’s cover, so if your audience has a one dimensional and therefore inaccurate picture of who you are, why not let them in on a secret that makes them curious again.

Props

Ameera doesn’t just tell us about the card she received from Iggy Pop, she shows us. The legitimacy of bringing the real thing enhances our ability to visualize in a microsecond the envelope as it first appeared, where she might have been, how long it took before she began “freaking out” and what she did next. Highly engaging.

Dialogue

There is a vast difference between saying something like “he had a strange message on his answering machine,” and reciting with a sneering Iggy-ish voice: “This is that thing you throw peanuts at. Take a shot, sucka.” Using first person dialogue makes your story feel more realistic to your listeners.

Just for fun, watch it again and notice the listener’s face in the lower left corner.

Please add your own comments below, which of the six stories this might be, what you like about Ameera’s story, what her story tells you about her, or how this story might work in an organizational setting.