Ed Dickinson
The Power of Telling Stories
Ed Dickinson was a professional speaker before he retired, but as he said retirement just means that he still does speaking engagements but doesn’t charge a fee. In his twenties Ed overcame a stutter with the help of a speech therapist, this lead to his speaking career and to later on romance. Ed said the tradition of telling stories dates back to the beginning of time. People have always told stories to pass on knowledge, history and culture. Stories unite the heart and the mind, and engage the thoughts of both sides of the brain – the logical and the romantic. Stories interconnect you with individuals, it’s a bonding exercise.
Speakers ask Ed if there is a way to help pre-speech nerves and should a speech begin with a joke, the answer to both is, No. Another no-no is don’t use other peoples stories without their permission, use your own stories, they will be fresh and unique to any audience.
Stories have power. People will remember them and although the story is not the message, they can contain the message.