Carinne Bird - Telling the Story

My pitch was well structured and thought through but my delivery was clinical and just plain ordinary. I was trying so hard to get it right but got it so wrong. I saw someone else present several weeks before and loved some of the presenter’s lines and gestures that I thought I would “steal” some great gems, and be the best! It didn’t fly because it was contrived, copied and lacked authenticity. It felt so awful, I felt so embarrassed I just wanted to run and hide. It taught me a great lesson. I saw that I needed to truly share from my heart to make a difference and since then have given some great presentations telling very real stories with a willingness to be vulnerable. Think about your personal experiences and the stories you have to share in building your message. Below four “must haves” to get you started…..

1. Construct – we all know a story has a beginning, middle and an end. Aim to write three bullets that simply outlines the opening, the core and the end. What is the point of the story – what is the message you want to convey. To me the first stage is to get a very net straw man of your beginning, middle and end so it’s succinct, clean and clear.
2. Compelling – the next phase is to introduce the emotive elements that makes the story compelling and ensures it captivates your audience. Look for ways you can embellish the emotion while still keeping the story net. Test it out with those you trust – does it touch, move and inspire others?
3. Communicate – while the story may read well and touch the hearts of others it also needs to be relevant to the reader. It needs to resonate and add value to their world. Spend time to really identify your target audience and truly evaluate if what you have to say will add value to them?
4. Consistency – once you complete your story moving through these three phases you need to check in and ensure the story is aligned with your overall Brand, your unique value proposition, your positioning and profiles across Social Media. Branding needs to be consistent.