Stories are incredible things. Since the dawn of humanity, people have been using stories to connect with others, share information, and learn about the world around them. We rely on stories to enlighten us, and use them when we want to strengthen our bonds with other human beings.
However, few people leverage personal storytelling as effectively as they could. In the right circumstances, telling the right story can help salespeople to close deals, ensure business leaders can inspire their employees, and even support marketers in driving brand awareness.
Here’s what you need to know about the art of personal storytelling.
What is Personal Storytelling?
Personal storytelling is essentially the art of bringing your own personal experiences into a conversation or situation. They’re a way of engaging an audience, showing affinity, building relationships, and driving action. Personal storytelling examples can vary depending on the context, but they typically involve the use of anecdotal information, and emotive language.
For instance, in a sales environment, a salesperson might tell a personal story about an issue or challenge they’ve faced in the past, to convince a customer they understand their pain point. In a leadership space, a manager might tell a story about how they used a certain strategy to achieve certain results, to influence and motivate team members.
In the marketing world, content writers frequently use personal stories to connect with their audience on a human level, and make content feel more relatable.
Why is Personal Storytelling Important?
Storytelling in all of its forms is a powerful tool for influence. Telling a story helps us to convey information in a way that’s more compelling and interesting than data or statistics alone. In fact, research tells us that delivering messages via stories can make information 22 times more memorable than if we share facts and figures alone.
Stories are emotionally engaging, and easier for us to understand on a basic level. A Nielsen study revealed that human brains are more engaged by storytelling than facts alone. Personal storytelling can help us to:
- Create human connections: Stories are naturally relatable. They provide us with insights into shared experiences, and form the foundation of real human connections. Storytelling can improve trust and credibility in any relationship, and make a person seem more interesting.
- Improve loyalty: The emotional connections created by stories can also lead to greater loyalty. If you tell a story people can genuinely connect with and relate to, they’ll be more likely to believe in you. Many influencers rely heavily on personal storytelling.
- Enhance sales and marketing campaigns: Personal storytelling is an amazing way to make sales and marketing strategies more compelling. Telling a remarkable story can easily win over any audience, and potentially improve a company’s chances of conversions.
How to Improve Your Personal Storytelling Skills
Some people are natural storytellers. They know how to weave a narrative in any situation, and understand how much personal and professional information they should share. However, even if you’re not a naturally creative person, you can still become a better storyteller with these tips:
- Have specific opinions: Storytelling works best when it’s used to convey a specific take or perspective. With this in mind, you should always have an opinion you convey with your story. For instance, in a sales negotiation, you may use a story to convince your customer that sometimes spending more up-front saves money in the long-term.
- Be authentic: Personal stories should be realistic and authentic. They can help to portray you in a positive light, but this doesn’t mean you should ignore certain facts. Addressing the challenges and problems you faced in a situation during your story will make you appear more human and relatable.
- Use the three part rule: Every good story has a beginning, an end, and a middle. Using this format, introduce your story by highlighting why it’s relevant to the situation, tell the core of the narrative, then finish off by summing up the message you’re trying to send.
- Stay focused: Sometimes, it’s easy for a personal storytelling session to go off track. However, you shouldn’t allow your tale to end up with you rambling. Keep your listener or reader engaged by making sure you stick to a specific point. Don’t allow one story to morph into another.
- Have a purpose: Make sure your story has a purpose. It should teach something, share a unique insight, or convince someone to do something. Decide what the goal of the story is at the beginning, so you can leave your audience with a clear takeaway.
- Speak your listener’s language: Think about who you’re telling the story to before you begin. It’s no good using language or references a specific person won’t understand. Use simple language that your audience can follow.
Storytelling can be a powerful tool, particularly when it leverages aspects of your personal identity or experiences. Just make sure you’re using your personal storytelling strategy correctly.
