How can you build credibility by sharing personal stories?

Being a public speaker is about being an "interesting" personality - and there is nothing more interesting to the audience than sharing personal stories that "relates". But before diving into my personal records, I always ask myself: "What message do I want to convey?" Is it to inspire, inform, or persuade? Understanding my objective helps to guide which personal story I would share, and HOW each anecdote I make serves a specific purpose. Having a clear purpose guides my storytelling, ensuring every detail serves a greater function. All the best!

Primero asegurandote que la historia que compartirás la viviste en primera persona singular. No hay nada más poderoso que hablar desde la experiencia. Lo segundo, asegurandote de que la historia que elegirás conecta con los objetivos de tu presentación y más importante aún, con los objetivos de la audiencia Y tercero y probablemente lo más importante, comparte tu historia siendo congruente. Desde la consciencia que tu tienes de que las personas que te ven y escuchan te están leyendo en tres niveles simultaneos: Lo que dices. Como dices lo que dices y como te vez cuando dices lo que dices. Mehrabian estableció que la proporción es 7% lo que dices. 38% como dices lo que dices y 55% como te vez cuando dices lo que dices!!

To build credibility through personal stories, start by identifying your purpose and aligning personal experiences with it. Start by identifying the key message or lesson you want to convey to your audience. For example, if your purpose is to inspire others to overcome challenges, reflect on personal experiences where you demonstrated resilience or perseverance. Share these stories authentically, focusing on the emotions, struggles, and growth you experienced. For instance, if you're speaking about leadership, share a personal anecdote about a time when you faced adversity as a leader and how you navigated through it. By connecting stories to your purpose, you demonstrate authenticity and relevance, increasing credibility with the audience.

Building credibility through personal stories involves authenticity, relevance, and vulnerability. Share experiences that demonstrate expertise or lessons learned, showing authenticity and relatability. Connect personal stories to broader themes or challenges your audience faces, illustrating empathy and understanding. Embrace vulnerability by sharing both successes and failures, fostering trust and resonance with your audience. Consistently delivering valuable insights and demonstrating integrity further enhances credibility over time.

Sharing personal stories enhances credibility by humanizing your experience. Authenticity fosters connection, making you relatable and trustworthy. When weaving personal anecdotes into your message, it demonstrates vulnerability, reinforcing your expertise through real-life examples. This authenticity builds a genuine connection with your audience, establishing credibility and fostering trust.

If you are including stories, make them relevant. be careful of going into too much detail. Make the points relevant to the subject you are talking about. And avoid using complicated language or jargon that people will not understand.

When I'm training spokespeople for interviews, I encourage them to find a personal story they can share to relate to the topic. When you're telling a story, you can not only illustrate your point, but you add enthusiasm and entertainment value to what you're conveying.

To create more credible stories to your audience, you need to find the find match. For example, if you are looking to build credibility as in Leadership topics, talking about a story on how you like exercising isn't going to help. Remember, your story is just one piece of a larger conversation. It should connect to the audience's needs, and their understanding. Don't just tell a funny anecdote; show how it relates to the topic at hand. Imagine I'm speaking about the power of vulnerability. I could share a story about a time I stumbled in front of a large crowd, feeling exposed and embarrassed. But then I could connect it to the lesson of authenticity, how sharing that vulnerability led to a deeper connection with the audience.

Building credibility through personal stories involves selecting relevant and relatable anecdotes that resonate with your audience's experiences. For example, if you're giving a presentation on resilience in the workplace, sharing a story about overcoming a professional challenge can demonstrate your expertise and authenticity. Let's say you're discussing the importance of adaptability. You might recount a time when you navigated a difficult project or career transition, highlighting the strategies you used to persevere and succeed. By choosing stories that directly relate to your audience's interests and challenges, you establish credibility and connection, making your message more impactful and memorable.

Try and pick a story that connects you to the reader instantly - my readers have connected well to human values, personal struggles, leadership lessons and wellbeing. Pick a story that shines a spotlight on your message. Choose stories that tug at emotions, sparking joy, fear, or triumph your audience can relate to. Facts can be a bonus but cannot be the focal point. Consider your audience's age, interests, and occupation/background. What stories would resonate most with them? End with a rhetoric for reflection.

Hablar desde la experiencia siempre es un grado, sin duda, pero también lo es y mucho más relevante dejar al ego encerrado en una habitación a oscuras e insonorizada. Sal a compartir, a inspirar, a influir, a hacer reflexionar. No salgas a lucirte.

In order to build credibility through personal stories, authenticity, and honesty are vital. Choose anecdotes that genuinely reflect your experiences, values, and lessons learned. For example, if discussing the importance of integrity in business, share a story where you faced a moral dilemma and chose to do the right thing despite challenges. Perhaps you turned down a lucrative opportunity because it conflicted with your ethical beliefs. By openly sharing your decision-making process, including any doubts or uncertainties, you demonstrate authenticity and integrity. This transparency cultivates trust and credibility with your audience, reinforcing your message and personal brand.

There is a law of reciprocity in psychology when, if you show vulnerability, the vast majority of people will return in kind. This creates deeper connections. While on stage, the audience typically isn't verbally sharing back, they are leaning in and feeling closer to you. This deeper connection builds trust and influence. How many of you have had people come up after a speech and share intimate details about their life and struggles? It happens because you have exercised this psychological "law". Weave your stories of struggles and victories as you share your content. Your impact will be far greater. 🙏🏽

Credibility thrives on authenticity. Don't fabricate or embellish. Share your true experiences, even if they're not picture-perfect. Vulnerability can be scary, but it's also incredibly powerful. When you share your authentic self, you invite your audience to connect with you on a deeper level, fostering trust and credibility. Think about it this way: a story about overcoming a personal flaw resonates far more than a fabricated tale of effortless success. People connect with genuineness, with the stumbles and triumphs that make us human. All the best!

Tu cuerpo grita tan alto que no deja oír lo que tú dices. Tienes que ser honesto con tu historia, no inventes, que sea basada en tu experiencia y trata de revivir como te sentiste cuando sucedió. Tu lenguaje no verbal es tan fuerte que acompaña tu mensaje y si mientes el público lo nota. Así que se auténtico y honesto. Your body screams so loudly that it can't hear what you say. You have to be honest with your story, don't invent it, make it based on your experience and try to relive how you felt when it happened. Your non-verbal language is so strong that it accompanies your message and if you lie the public notices it. So be authentic and honest.

In my opinion, share a compelling story at the beginning of your speech, and you will immediately gain credibility from the audience. From there, the audience will continue to stay focused on your message and continue to be engaged. I recommend using photos throughout your story and even video snippets if it fits. Also, I am learning about the 2-3-1 method. Pick your three best stories .. share your second best first in the speech. In the middle of your speech, share your third best story, and then at the end, share your best story to end the speech.

I think people pick up quickly on disingenuous and inauthentic attempts to connect. I often say I can be transparent to a fault, but I really don’t know how else to show up in a world that seems to be consumed with “putting on” and “conforming” to the latest popular thing. The person I am behind closed doors is the person I am in public. Certainly I protect myself and my family to some extent from over exposure, but when it comes to connecting to people, I tell the story of my lived experience. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s neutral, but it’s always authentic. Straight no chaser.

Desde hace miles de años, las historias, los cuentos, las parábolas, han sido las más poderosas herramientas de comunicación. Úsalas bien. El público sólo va a recordar un 7% de lo que cuentes. Así que hazlo memorable. No aburras con muchos datos 📊. Usa la estructura del “viaje del héroe” y emociona a tu público. For thousands of years, stories, tales, parables have been the most powerful tools of communication. Use them well. The public will only remember 7% of what you tell. So make it memorable. Don't bore you with a lot of data 📊. Use the “hero's journey” structure and excite your audience.

For me, stories are more than just facts - they are my personal journeys. As such, I would use vivid language to paint a picture with my words, and engage the senses of the audience. I let my audience see, hear, and feel the emotions of my experiences. I also employ storytelling techniques like humor, suspense, and conflict to keep them engaged and invested. Remember, even the most insightful message loses its impact if delivered in a monotone. So infuse your story with energy, emotion, and well-placed pauses. All the best!

Building credibility through personal stories includes employing storytelling techniques that enhance authenticity and relatability. For example, rather than merely stating professional accomplishments, weave a narrative that illustrates the challenges you faced, the lessons learned, and how those experiences shaped your expertise. By incorporating elements like vivid descriptions, emotional resonance, and a clear narrative arc, you can effectively convey your credibility while connecting with your audience on a deeper level. This approach not only humanizes your professional persona but also makes your expertise more tangible and compelling to others.

Adding facts with your personal stories build your credibility. For example if you are speaking about work cultures of organisation which inculcate self motivation of employees, you can share data of organisations having the highest level of customer satisfaction and how it is related to self motivated employees.

Build credibility through personal stories by establishing a balance between storytelling and factual information. For instance, when sharing a personal anecdote to support a professional point, ensure it's relevant and backed by data or evidence. Let's say you're discussing leadership skills. Instead of solely recounting a personal experience of overcoming a challenge, integrate statistics or case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of your leadership approach. This blend of narrative and factual support enhances credibility by showing both the real-world application of your expertise and the empirical evidence supporting it, creating a compelling and trustworthy narrative for your audience.

While personal stories are powerful, striking a balance with relevant facts and data enhances credibility. Incorporate statistics or evidence that support your message, providing a well-rounded presentation that combines the emotional impact of stories with the rational appeal of facts.

Sharing stories is a great technique but personal stories tend to receive more credibility from the audience when it is challenge or a moment of failure and inner struggles than success stories as if you are portraying yourself as the greatest or the best of all times.

Presenting personal stories with credibility requires VULNERABILITY, vulnerability that is rooted in courage. The power of a personal vulnerable story that is presented with courage and impact, will always connects you to the audience. And there are 6 types of Courage. 1. Physical courage – physical strength, resilience and awareness. 2. Emotional courage – Following your heart 3. Intellectual courage – willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn with an open and flexible mind. 4. Social courage – admitting to making mistakes. It also involves leadership. 5. Moral courage – Standing up for what is right. Involves doing the right thing. 6. Spiritual courage – Facing pain with dignity or faith. It helps us live with purpose.

Choose stories you're comfortable sharing and avoid anything overly personal or private. It boils down to your choice though. Focus on genuine connection and learning. Don't blow your own trumpet/don't be the self proclaimed God of Perfection. Something I have always practiced - ask trusted friends or colleagues for feedback on your stories for further refinement.

Additional ways to build credibility through personal stories include using metaphorical narratives to convey complex concepts indirectly. Integrating humor or light-hearted anecdotes to engage the audience while delivering important messages. Sharing vulnerable moments to demonstrate authenticity and lessons learned. Inviting audience participation through interactive elements, and utilizing visual aids to enhance the storytelling experience. These approaches help establish rapport, convey key messages, and build credibility effectively.