Using AI to Practice Storytelling and Public Speaking

Dear Reader,

Storytelling and public speaking thrive on practice. But finding a practice partner or a consistent source of feedback can be challenging, which is where AI steps in. 

Today, I want to share how AI tools like ChatGPT and Yoodli.AI can help you generate ideas, refine your delivery, and even offer feedback. 

AI is always available, ready to listen whenever you need it, and willing to push your creativity further.

A perfect example of this happened recently when I was preparing for my storytelling workshop. 

In a conversation with ChatGPT, we explored ways to help people find compelling story ideas. 

Through this exchange, I landed on the metaphor of “gem mining.” 

The idea is that storytelling starts with uncovering hidden gems from our experiences, sifting through moments and memories to find the ones with the most meaning. 

It was a simple yet powerful way to explain story idea generation, and it’s an insight I might not have stumbled on without the help of AI.

Using AI to rehearse your delivery also provides an invaluable out-of-body experience. 

Listening to your own voice repeatedly can start to feel like a broken record. It’s similar to editing your own writing, where you sometimes miss small mistakes or bigger issues because you’re so close to the material. 

When you listen to ChatGPT recite your speech or story, you become the audience to your own writing, hearing it as others would. 

This fresh perspective is priceless for spotting what works and what doesn’t.

Here’s my approach:

1. Record yourself delivering your story or speech on your phone’s Voice Memos (or your own favorite voice note app). This first step helps you establish a baseline.

2. Transcribe the audio using an app like Drafts (free!), giving you a written version you can adjust or refine.

3. Copy and paste the text into ChatGPT and ask it to read it back to you verbally. Hearing your story from ChatGPT’s voice provides that unique, outside perspective, helping you identify natural flow, pacing, or awkward phrasing.

4. If you want even more targeted feedback, use Yoodli.AI. This tool analyzes aspects like pacing and filler words, making your practice even more effective.

One final tip: try walking as you practice. There’s something about getting your blood moving that sparks creativity and clarity. 

Walking through your delivery can make a noticeable difference, freeing your mind to focus and helping your story come alive.

Embrace AI as your practice partner, it’s there to give feedback, offer fresh perspectives, and help you get one step closer to mastering your story. 

Choose a story or speech and try this method today. Use ChatGPT or Yoodli to rehearse, refine, and listen as you prepare. Let me know how it goes.

I’d love to hear about your discoveries.

Until next time,

Rico