If you do any kind of public speaking or presenting, you get lots of advice about how to write a good speech. And you probably hear how important storytelling is. And it’s true. As a dramatist, I can vouch for the power of story to help your audience connect with your message

But many speakers just insert stories that are not relevant to their content, taking the listener away from the central message. These are usually stories thought to be “cute” or “humanizing” or - Heaven forbid! - jokes disguised as stories, meant to “lighten things up.” (More on what I think about that here—an oldie but goodie).

Sometimes speakers sense a good story will help make their point more easily. But the problem is, they don’t have a specific story to share. So they make one up. Unless you are a professional actor or a very good conman who is skilled at “selling” untruths, don’t do this! Audiences tend to be skeptical these days. So if you rely on invented stories, that fact will catch up with you sooner or later. Your credibility will take a hit.

I write plays based on history. I do a lot of research. And I am always amazed when I stumble across a nugget so juicy I can’t wait to write about it. (If I had a nickel for every time I said to myself “you can’t make this stuff up” I would have retired to my villa in Tuscany by now!)

When readers of my early drafts question plot points or character choices—things that actually happened—saying they’re implausible, I realize it’s my job to more clearly establish the world of the play. I make adjustments, perhaps shift focus a bit, so that the audience will see these things as odd or thought-provoking, but somewhere within the realm of possibility.

It may take bit more digging to find a true story that provides a frame for your speech or supports its thesis, but the world is full of stories. You have a huge library of them at your fingertips. Leave the made-up stories to the fiction writers.

Because truth is stranger than fiction!