Everyone has a story unique to their own life and journey. In places where social interaction is vital, storytelling serves an important role as it gets the networking ball rolling. The power of storytelling is even backed by science: the brain likes the intrigue and ability to visualize.
It makes you more memorable, more approachable, more authentic, and more valuable.
Whenever you’re stuck or have difficulty making your point, keep these simple steps in mind:
Step 1: Segue to your topic
Step 2: Signal you have something to say
Step 3: Summit you started from
Step 4: Highlight the struggles you faced
Step 5: Emphasize the solution to the problem
Step 6: Underscore the impact it had and its significance.
If coming up with personal yet relatable stories isn’t your forte, that’s okay, you can prepare:
Start by brainstorming about 30 events in your life that taught you something, that revealed something interesting, or achievements exclusively unique to you.
Crete well designed stories around these key events and practice them. Make sure you set the scene, highlighting the time and location of the event. Remember, people love descriptions that allow them to visualize in their own head.
Have a memorable moral, point, or insight that bookends the story.
Use them whenever you need them – networking events, panels, interviews, presentations.
Storytelling can also be used when you are trying to give someone feedback or in difficult situations where you need others to be able to relate to you.
Make sure your impactful story takes them into the valley (the core of your story) and back out again; it’s about the journey NOT the destination.
