Have you ever found it difficult to talk about
what you do?
You know you’re really good at it, but you
struggle to articulate exactly what it is you do?
You are not alone.
I was at my first ever official networking event.
I had just set up as a Coach. I had years of
corporate experience and could talk about that
pretty easily. But I had no idea how to describe
what I do now.
I sat down beside the one person that I knew. He
had introduced me to the group and assured me that
it was a great place to meet new people and create
new business opportunities.
My heart was pounding. Everyone had a minute to
introduce themselves. At first I just kept
thinking about what I was going to say, I could
barely hear what others were saying. I was
terrified. And quite sure that I was going to
sound incredibly stupid!
Then I decided to simply listen to the others and
hoped that that would inspire me to find what I
was going to say.
And that’s when I noticed it.
That’s when I had this huge realization.
Most people in the room were quite uncomfortable
and felt similarly to the way I was feeling.
They seemed to be really struggling to introduce
themselves and a lot of what was being said was
not very clear or enticing.
Then it was the turn of the young woman that sat
3 seats away from me.
She stood up, looked around the circle and with a
huge, relaxed smile started to tell a story. She
was a therapist and she told the story of a couple
who had arrived at her clinic in distress and how
she had facilitated a real breakthrough for them.
I was immediately compelled to speak to her and
find out more.
The story had completed drawn me in and I noticed
that it stayed with me for quite some time.
In fact, over the next few months, as I attended
the networking group on a regular basis, I noticed
that it was the introductions that included a
story that I remembered. Not just when I thought
about the group, but also when other people asked
me for a recommendation.
Years have gone by since that young woman
impressed me with her story.
Yet little has changed.
Wonderful and talented professionals everywhere
struggle to tell their story.
It’s just not enough to be great at what you do;
you have to be able to articulate it in a way that
compels people.
Once you can tell your story, your ideal clients
find you. It makes all the difference.
So, what story are you telling?
How do you manage to talk about what you do?
Please go ahead and share below.
Best wishes and best stories
Lisa
P.S. And if you want to finally get on top of
your story, figure out how to tell it and create a
transformation of your business….
This might just be for you.
https://story-coach.com/your-story-discover-create-innovate
I do hope you’ll join us!
Hi Lisa,
I’ve recently started using the tag line, “I help people create the stories they need to tell to change their lives.” It’s on my web site and my business stationery and emails. It usually raises eyebrows but gets attention. I’m still working on the story. At the moment, I’m working with such a variety of clients–from story coaching groups, to support workers, to young scientists, to government staff and corporate leaders. Some want storytelling skills, some want theory on therapeutic storytelling, others want narrative leadership skills. Every client is different. But I feel I need a consistent story that tells them who I am and what I offer. I’ll get back to you on that.
Michael
Thanks for sharing Michael…nice thing about having your story is that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel each time….I’d love to hear more as you figure it out! best wishes, Lisa