 Storytelling brings a presentation to life. Stories can help you reach your audience, get them engaged, and help them remember your message. There's scientific research that backs this up. Neuroscientists have measured brain activity as it relates to speaker and listener. They've discovered that our brains create an emotional connection. It's called neurocoupling where the listener's brain activity actually mirrors that of the storyteller. The stronger the coupling between the speaker and the listener, the better the understanding. Storytelling is the most influential form of communication because the listener actually experiences the story as if it was real. Your audience doesn't passively receive your message. They actively participate in it emotionally. If you're expressive and provide detailed description and dialogue, you can transport your audience into the story as if they're living it right along with you. Listeners in a heightened state of emotion are more attentive, receptive, and remember more. There are outstanding books, videos, and workshops on storytelling. It's an art that can be mastered through practice and training. This course isn't about storytelling, it's about Prezi. But I can show you how to structure your Prezi like a story. Storytellers begin by establishing a setting. As a presenter, you need to establish a setting too. Your listeners need to have enough detail that they can put themselves into the story with you. They need to be able to identify with the characters you describe. Don't use yourself as the hero of your story. Use a character they can relate to. Make them the hero. Like a story, a good presentation has a clear beginning, middle, and end. The situation is laid out at the beginning. A conflict arises in the middle and is resolved by the end of the story. This conflict doesn't have to be between two people. It could be between different viewpoints, for example, or competing products, or between the present situation and a more favorable future situation. Conflict is what makes your story interesting. Your audience feels the same positive emotions as the story's hero when the conflict is finally resolved. The story's resolution is the whole point of your presentation. It's the most memorable part of the story. You should be able to express it in a single, concise statement or call to action. If your audience could walk away with just one key takeaway, what would it be? Just like a story all hinges on the conflict resolution, your presentation hinges on this key idea. It fulfills your presentation's statement of purpose. To accomplish this, your presentation should be carefully constructed. Outline the key events of the story and keep refining them until you're confident that they express your ideas. Then write a script that ensures that your audience will be drawn in and relive the experience the way you want them to. Since Prezi is such a visual and cinematic platform, I also recommend that you storyboard your script. For each frame you've planned, make a sketch of what your audience will see that corresponds to what you'll say. Please don't skip this step. Some people think that scripting and storyboarding their presentation will make it too stiff and robotic. You don't have to deliver a memorized script, but in the process of writing and polishing your script, you'll make important decisions on what to include and how to express your ideas. It'll also help reduce anxiety when you're ready to finally present your Prezi.