Chances are, your story will have two or more characters who interact with each other. How do you handle a conversation between these characters in your story? As business keynote speaker Patricia Fripp says, “Deliver the dialogue, don’t report the dialogue.” Do you just tell the audience what he said, what she said, and what he said in response? This is “reporting,” or “repeating” the dialogue. Instead, SAY what he said, then SAY what she stand, and SAY what he said in response. This is “delivering,” or “replaying” the dialogue.

Here is a simple example:

Repeating: Bill told Amy that he wanted to take a vacation. Amy told him that she just got back from Belize and highly recommends it. Then Bill said that he’s been there too and loved the scuba diving.

Replaying: “I am so looking forward to getting away from this office and taking a vacation but I can’t decide where to go.”

“Oh! I went to Belize a few years ago and would love to go back. You have got to go!”

“Yes – Belize is gorgeous. The diving there is outstanding.”

Make sense? It’s so much more engaging and entertaining to deliver rather than report the dialogue. That’s easy to understand. But it is not so easy is to actually DO it.

Body language and stage presence are important tools when telling a story. If you are sharing a story about 2 or more characters, each character must be “placed” somewhere on the stage.

Let’s suppose that the story is about you, John, and Mary. When you refer to John, he will be to your left. Mary will be to your right. Each and every time you refer to John, you should motion to your left. Each and every time you refer to Mary, you should motion to your right. If, all of a sudden, you mention Mary and refer to your left, your audience will subconsciously get confused, because Mary is now where John should be. Try to keep your characters in the same place on stage throughout your speech.

Remember this when you replay the dialogue. You are in the middle. When you speak, you are standing in the middle looking at the person you are talking to (left towards John, right towards Mary.) When John speaks, take a small step to the left and turn right slightly towards the center. When Mary speaks, take a small step to the right and turn left slightly towards the center. These should be small, natural steps that help differentiate you and the other two characters by your position on stage.

If John and Mary are having the conversation without you, the concept is the same. When John speaks, take a small step to the left and turn right slightly towards the center. When Mary speaks, take a small step to the right and turn left slightly towards the center. These should be small, natural steps that help differentiate you and the other two characters by your position on stage.

During my workshops, I like to share a segment of Trevor Noah’s “Afraid of the Dark” which is a magnificent, and hysterical, example of how to replay a dialogue and using stage presence to indicate characters. (Trevor’s use of accents cannot be ignored – he is exceptionally talented!) Take a look at this video to see how his two characters interact. You can “see” the Indian farmer on the left and the British soldier on the right.

Trevor makes it look easy and natural, but it is not. You really must pay attention and move with intention…naturally but with intention. I’ve seen speakers who turn the wrong way such that each of the characters are turning AWAY from each other when they are speaking TO each other. I like to imagine a pole or column in the “center” of the conversation between the characters. Then, which ever character is speaking turns toward the pole when they speak.

Take the time to master this technique to replay the dialogue, and your story telling will so much more effective and helpful for your audience