The moral of your story
Each decision you made along this story journey revealed a personal insight.
Sometimes you hold your voice back. You worry about how you will sound and the butterflies in your stomach keep you quiet. Pssst … here’s a secret: everyone is nervous when they get onstage, and your nerves are there to serve you.
As you begin the story crafting process, you will feel stronger and more confident. Better yet, you will have more strategies (and stories!) to help you be visible in a big way. When you build your voice and your stories, you will be able to reach more people and serve your audience better.
Here are 5 customized recommendations based on what might be holding YOU back:
1. Mindset
When you get up to speak in front of a crowd, you sometimes feel nervous. Maybe your heart starts to race or your palms feel sweaty. This might stop you from stepping onto the stage or speaking on a podcast. Developing your own pre-performance ritual will help you feel grounded and harness the power of your nerves. After all, your nerves are there to serve you.
PATH TO TRY: Deep breathing triggers a relaxation response. My favourite breathing exercise is called 4-7-8. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds.
2. Core 7 Stories for Business
You might think you don’t have any stories to tell or you’re not sure what parts of your life are story-worthy. Crafting your Core 7 Stories for Business will build your story crafting skills and help you clarify your messaging. You will have a story for every occasion. Most importantly, crafting your Core 7 Stories will show you the many ways your story matters.
PATH TO TRY: Grab my FREE Core 7 Stories for Business guidebook and start crafting your stories!
3. Master Your Voice
Maybe you carry a memory of a speaking gig turned bad, you don’t like the sound of your voice, or you worry that you say “ummm,” too often. The good news is, speaking skills are learned. As you Master Your Voice, you will start loving your voice. You will be vocally empowered. You’ll stop stressing over petty details because you’ll be too busy building crescendos!
PATH TO TRY: Chose a passage from a book and read it out loud. As you read it, hear yourself. Listen for things like tone, pace and pause. When you’re done, write down two things you loved about your voice and two ideas you have to try next time.
4. Vulnerability
You want to create meaningful connections with your audience and to represent yourself authentically. Still, there is a voice in the back of your mind that warns against saying the wrong thing, going off-brand and offending someone. It’s true, there is value in vulnerability and it has a function in storytelling. The key is in your intention. Combining vulnerability with ethics and purpose is how you show respect to yourself and your audience and this is where meaningful connections are made.
PATH TO TRY:You will always offend someone. Think about the next piece of content you plan to share and ask yourself these questions:
- Who will this offend?
- How do I feel about offending this person/group?
- Will they be offended for a meaningful reason?
5. Story Clarity Call
Sometimes the best way to stop spinning out and make the best decision on how to fix your dilemmas is to talk to another human. I get it, and I’ve got you.
PATH TO TRY: Let’s have a virtual coffee. Wherever you’re at, I’ll meet you there. Tell me about your current challenges. I’ll suggest some possible solutions. If and only if you’re excited about the ideas I present and problems we can solve together, then we’ll discuss next steps about working together. Or, we can just chat about our favorite books (I am a librarian, after all … mine is Harry Potter or Anne of Green Gables or Persepolis … I can’t decide!).