HAVE you ever wondered what makes a speech, presentation, blog post or newspaper article stand out? Or why you remember some presentations but not others?

Much of this has to do with the relevance of the subject and the delivery, but many of the most memorable have something in common, they tell a story.

Throughout history, storytelling has formed an important part of out culture. In fact it could be argued the ability to communicate and learn information passes from generation to generation.

From a very early age, storytelling forms part of our daily lives. Its art is among the first things we teach children, sharing stories our parents and grandparents shared with us.

Generally stories are organised, they contain a structure, including a beginning, middle and an end, they usually involve a progression or journey of some sort.

A good story is more than a collection of words on a page, if it is told well, it should be compelling, wondrous and insightful. A good author should be able to create a world full of colour, populated with believable characters, and good storytellers make influential leaders. Churchill, Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs in part all shaped our world through their ability to tell great stories. Unfortunately there isn’t a formula for the perfect story, but there are tools that authors can use to create stories, and many ways in which those stories can be told.

Since the beginning of time storytellers have strived for perfection, always looking for new ways to engage audiences. It’s hardly surprising then that storytelling can be found in practically every art form, from writing and poetry to contemporary art and photography, folk music, dance, theatre, cinema, radio and television.

These days the internet, blogging and social media has redefined the way that we tell our stories. It’s now possible for stories to spread around the world in a matter of minutes, engaging audiences and influencing the lives of complete strangers, often without us ever knowing it.

A powerful story has the ability to inspire us to new heights, to push us to travel to the ends of the earth, to unite us in revolution, to help us to work together to save the planet or simply to make us think.

So the next time you have to give a presentation, or write something for your website, blog or social network, think about your audience, think about what story you want to share with them and that sort of journey you want to take them on.

:: David Coxon, ICT manager, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.