There’s a story about everything.

It’s hardly surprising, is it, that the more you immerse yourself in something, whether it’s a sport, a group or simply an interest in a topic, the more you have to say about it?

And yet it still surprises me that the more I immerse myself in storytelling, the more stories I notice I feel compelled to tell.

And that could be the same for you.

Right now you might think you don’t have m/any stories worth sharing but once you get started I’m sure you’ll surprise yourself how many long forgotten stories come back to you.

Here’s hoping that today’s issue of Storylines helps trigger some of those stories for you.

Tips and techniques

Make sure you match your language to your audience's level of understanding about your topic or area of expertise.

Use too much jargon and you'll lose them. Put it too simply and you're likely to leave them feeling patronised.

So, like Goldilocks, get it just right.

This short video gives a few tips on how to do that.

Story prompt of the week

It was the best Christmas stocking ever!

I was probably in my early 20’s when I decided to fill a Christmas stocking for each of my parents. I was so excited. I knew they wouldn’t be expecting it and I’d very carefully chosen all the little things that went into them.

They were delighted!

But not as delighted as I was with the unexpected stocking they had filled for me.

I think my Christmas stockings stopped when I left home but this year my parents decided, late in the day on Christmas Eve, that it would be fun to fill one for me. (I suspect they got wind of the fact that there were 2 with their names on under the tree).

They had obviously scoured the drawers and cupboards for a few useful basics but it was the extra few things they put in almost for a joke that I loved.

With parents whose world consisted of antiques and auction sales, our house was full of potential valuables, all with a chip or crack here or there, but still delightful. It was among these items they found my little gems.

The girl on the chamber pot has given up waiting for her legs to be carefully recrafted and replaced. The tiny purse still holds keys to secret places.

I was thrilled with them both. My parents’ delight at my obvious joy was such a bonus too. The joy of giving

A happy Christmas indeed.

How you could use a similar story:

There are a number of themes that pop up in this story such as giving, kindness and sense of humour. It’s likely that there will be themes showing through the story behind your items too.

You can therefore use that story to illustrate those themes.

Stories like this also create an opportunity to share a little bit about your background, so often a good way to create connection with your audience or reader.

Similarly, they shed light on some of your values, what’s important to you and therefore who you are a person.

I’ve chosen items with sentimental value. You could choose an item with a humorous story behind it, again giving insight into you as the person behind the professional.

So what are your stories behind some of your favourite objects or possessions?

Different perspectives, different stories

Why I live a zero waste life. Lauren Singer. TEDx.

This speech uses story in a very clever way as the entire speech tells the relevant parts of her entire story and her learning along the way. It’s her story of how and why all in one.

In many ways it’s an unexceptional story and yet it’s very powerful.

She takes us relevant step by relevant step through the part of her life where she became aware of the amount of trash/rubbish she was producing. At the same time she shares her own learning and realisations during this period, potentially inspiring her audience to make some of the same changes that she made.

By highlighting benefits to minimising rubbish that her audience are likely to be interested in, such as money, nutrition and happiness, she aligns her audience emotionally, as all good stories do.

She points out the choices she was faced with and that her audience has too, again a good tactic as a thinking audience tends not to respond to dogma. She leaves them with 3 actions they can implement straight away.

By her regular use of ‘Right?’ as if seeking their agreement she draws her audience into her story.

Overall, I found the speech interesting. While I wouldn’t hold it up as an example of masterful storytelling, she ticks a lot of the boxes, and her story nonetheless does the job.

Disclaimer:

Many of the videos I feature in this section are of TED or TEDx talks for which the underlying theme is ‘an idea worth sharing.’

I think it’s important to state that my reviews and suggestions are focused on the examples of storytelling in these talks and are NOT a review of the speech as a whole.

When making suggestions of how the story could be told differently, I’m in no way wanting to imply criticism of the speaker but rather to suggest how you, my reader could craft your stories into your talks, more likely for a business purpose which might be quite different from the TED/TEDx purpose.

Briefly speaking:

Just as quickly as they pop into your head, stories tend to pop out again, so find a way of recording them for when you need them.

Your Story Your Brand

What makes you different from the next person who does something similar to you?

Yes, your story!

However unexceptional you may think your story is, that’s if you even think you have a story at all, it’s still part of what sets you apart from others in the same sphere of excellence.

So how can you make best use of your story?

I can help you.

I’m currently piloting a brand new individual coaching programme, Your Story Your Brand, designed to help you get clarity on:

·       Your value statement

·       Your brand, or signature, story.

·       How best to use that story to attract more of the right clients to you and your services for increased business.

If you’ve been in business for a couple of years, you have a steady flow of clients coming through and you’re now ready to step out to step up, at just £597 this programme could be for you.

This price is for the 1st 5 people to book in only and there’s still a place for you.

No need to decide right now – book a call here to explore this further.

How else I can help you

Keynote speaker – Achieving approachable leadership through strategic storytelling. Leadership/wellbeing/organisational health/cultural change.

Book me to speak

Story mining – helping you identify your ‘How’ and other stories.

Speech development – working with you on structuring, creating or tweaking your signature talks.

Trainer/facilitator – on public speaking and communication skills.

 Away-day facilitator – running ice-breaker sessions for your team development events.

 Speaker coach - one on one or group coaching.

 Communication coach - one on one or group coaching.

Work with me