Tip 1: Focus on Helping Others.
Wait… making my story one that matters involves others? Yep. It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s not.
Do you want to tell a memorable story that f*cking matters and feel good, maybe even euphoric about it? Make acts of service intentional in the story you’re telling. Helping others is a great way to boost self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth, and is a useful way to create connectivity and find purpose in your life.
A 2016 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine found that giving had greater benefits than receiving (yes, fans of Michael Scott from The Office; that’s what she said). Put simply, the study showed that when you help others, you’re also helping yourself.
Tip 2: Know Your Audience
Storytelling is, in part, about creating meaningful connections. To do this, you must know your audience, or who you’re talking to.
You have to determine the impact you want your story to have and make it relatable. Put yourself in the listener’s shoes and ask, “What’s in it for me?”
How is your audience or listener benefiting from the story you’re telling? What is the bigger picture here?
Whatever the solution you may be provided via your story, your audience needs to know it and understand it clearly. That’s also how you maintain interest from your listener and build a foundation of trust, which is essential.
You want to share stories with built-in benefits or solutions because those benefits or solutions evoke emotions, making a story much more memorable.
Tip 3: Keep It Simple
Great storytellers all have one common element in their stories. They keep it simple!
First, the story is short. It can “fit on the back of an envelope,” in the words of Richard Branson.
Secondly, they use easy-to-understand language, even when explaining complicated subjects or ideas.
By simplifying a story, building rapport with the listener or your target audience becomes easier, bringing you a step closer to creating a meaningful connection and/or making headlines.
As a simple exercise, if you could use only one word to tell the story of your life up to this point, what would it be? What about ten words? To read this SWAGGER Magazine cover story in full, visit here.
For more visit thePRGrapevine.com and Get your copy of Stories That F*cking Matter on Amazon!
