As a public speaking coach, I often get asked the question, “should I tell my story in my presentation?”. As Sting illustrates above, almost every good presentation is illuminated by the personal touch. It adds color, nuance and personality to our topic. Speaking from a personal place also serves to bring us to life non-verbally, helping us to engage our voice and body in surprising and powerful ways.

But how much should we tell, and in what order? These are difficult questions. In short, we need to think first about what the audience’s expectations are for our speech. Are they looking for information? Emotional transformation? Inspiration? Knowledge? Knowing what the audience wants can help us choose what stories to tell. Second, we need to think about how comfortable we are with what we plan to reveal. The more we reveal about ourselves in a public speaking setting, the greater the possibility of transformation. But we all have our limits. Check in with yourself and ask, “how comfortable am I telling this story?”. If the discomfort is more than a seven on a scale of one to ten, I would put the story aside, and consider coming back to it at a different time.

But do come back to it. I have seen countless speeches, and it is always the brave who inspire the most.

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