Back in September 2023, I penned an article for Training magazine on the concept of “storyopia,” inspired by the suffix, “-opia,” which means vision. I coined this phrase about crafting stories where your audience journeys with the characters from their current reality to “see” themselves as the heroes of the story. Now that you have artificial intelligence (AI) tools at your fingertips, think of this as Part 2 of that concept. With AI, crafting engaging stories is easier than ever!
START YOUR SESSION WITH A BANG!
Imagine swapping out the usual opening, “Hello, my name is…” followed by a bland slide about the agenda with something more exciting. Why settle for a hohum introduction when you can start with a gripping tale that instantly grabs attention, sparks curiosity, and draws your audience in emotionally? Kicking off your session with an engaging story is like beginning a blockbuster movie with an epic scene.
Now, with AI as your sidekick, creating engaging stories has gotten a major upgrade. You can use a basic chatbot such as ChatGPT, Jasper.ai, Copy.ai, or others to feed your chatbot basic storylines. Then you can prompt it to spin those storylines into something humorous, conversational, professional, or whatever is appropriate for your training session.
THE ART OF WRITING AI PROMPTS
Crafting effective prompts is straightforward. It just takes a bit of practice to get great responses from AI. Well-structured prompts reduce confusion, minimize follow-up questions, and enhance the overall experience. Here’s how to nail your prompts:
- Ask for one thing at a time.
- Provide specific guidelines to direct the response.
- Ask open-ended questions to encourage creativity.
- Indicate the tone such as professional, humorous, conversational, etc.
- Specify the length.
- Be clear and to the point.
With these tips, you can elevate your storytelling to create an engaging and memorable experience for your learners. Here’s a snapshot of how it’s done: Imagine your company is kicking off an onboarding training program for 12 new employees. James, the trainer, wanted to start with a humorous, brief story as an icebreaker. The following shows the prompt James wrote, followed by AI’s response.
Prompt: Write a two- to three-paragraph, humorous story to open an onboarding session. Boast about our annual talent show. Alex from Finance played “Don’t Stop Believin’” on his ukulele; Farhana from HR juggled coffee mugs. The takeaway should be that even though we’re office colleagues, we like to have fun and showcase our talents other than those you see in the office.
AI’s response: Good morning, everyone! Before we dive into today’s training, I want to share a brief story from our recent Annual Office Talent Show. This event is always a blast and a great reminder that we all have hidden talents.
Alex from Finance blew us away with his ukulele rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It was a surprise hit, turning the office breakroom into a concert hall for five solid minutes. He might not be the next big thing in music, but his enthusiastic performance earned him a standing ovation from everyone. Then we had Farhana from HR, who entertained us with her juggling skills. While she usually manages employee relations and paperwork, she effortlessly juggled three coffee mugs, making it look easy. She juggles office politics just as well.
So why am I telling you this? Just like Alex and Farhana, today’s training is about the joy of working here, discovering and sharpening your skills, and sometimes sharing talents beyond spreadsheets and policy manuals.
Good morning. I’m James.
OFF TO A GREAT START
Notice how James kicked things off with an engaging story before even introducing himself. And just like James did, you, too, can harness AI to craft engaging and memorable stories. Whether it’s a quirky anecdote to illustrate a point or a thrilling scenario to spark change, with AI as your virtual assistant, you can hook your audience right from the start, sprinkle in extra flair throughout the session, and wrap up with a story that sticks long after the session has ended. Storyopia with AI will make your training rock!
