A while ago, I attended my first networking session at a local business. An executive career coach had arranged the series of get-togethers to help executives in transition, like me, connect with each other and share their personal pitches. One by one, the men and women dressed as if they had just arrived from a business meeting stood and shared what type of job and company their were targeting and what skills they offered. No one told a story.
I am sure there were times throughout the years since when I became aware of opportunities for which someone in that room might have been a perfect match, but the details of those 30-second pitches were long since lost. People don't remember lists of skills, products or talents. They remember stories.
Writing and sharing stories has always been a passion of mine. For me, the yearn to write, the need to put my thoughts down, comes in waves. For years, I would set aside my fiction and poetry to focus on business, but even back in the late 70's and early 80's, I was attempting to combine passion and business, composing newsletters for my staff to share our successes, learn from our failures, and remind everyone why we are working so hard at what we do.
When I found myself surrounded by people who had a tremendous amount of experience, and yet were finding it difficult to connect to others in a meaningful way, I was reminded of the many times I would be interviewing candidates for a job. I struggled to get them to open up and tell me something memorable and real. I didn't understand it then, but I was looking for stories that would give me a hint of the talent and potential of the candidate. I found myself hiring those individuals who were most comfortable in their own stories.
When someone tells me a story about something they feel is important, meaningful, or just fun in their lives, I hear examples of their strengths, skills and personality. Story is a vehicle for human creativity, imagination and ability. So, why not use our stories to connect with everyone we encounter in life?
Business owners are treasure chests of story. How did you get started? Why do you do this? What are you passionate about? How long have you been in business? What is your greatest success story?
Clients and prospects long to hear something memorable and personal. Sharing stories builds trust. It lays the stepping stones toward a long term relationship and it opens doors to learn more about the customer or patient.
When I started coaching people on how to tell their stories in four simple steps, (See my book) there weren't too many executive and career coaches using that approach. Today, however, story seems to be the main theme in everything from commercials to auditions and interviews. My passion, my business, my vision is to help people tell their stories, and I am blessed to have found a network of talented and creative people who can help me do that.
So, what's your story?
The easy-to-follow handbook on telling your story in just four simple steps.