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When running your own business, one of the most important skills you need is storytelling.
You shouldn’t be afraid to tell your story. Even conflicts, setbacks and struggles can help people understand the passion and heart that goes into your energy as you set up and establish your business.
Moreover, stories will help YOU make sure others understand you, your business and what you’re trying to achieve. We’ve written about why your story needs to be shared with the world here.
You need to transform your stories from simple ideas into useful and interesting tales that focus on the needs of your audience, your supporters, your customers.
Are you sitting comfortably? Here are some tools and tips to help you begin.
Tools
Unearth your tales. To be a great storyteller you must be transparent, reveal your vulnerabilities and tell the truth. This way you can connect to your audience and remind them that you (we) are all human. These techniques will help you to identify and tell your most powerful stories.
Play! Remember as a child, running down a hill and picking up speed, and going so fast that you either had to keep going else you fall? This is a good way to approach your story telling.
Get sticky. What makes great stories so powerful is "stickiness”.
What does that mean? It’s simply the ability to draw attention and engage hearts and minds. The best stories spread good ideas like wildfire and inspire others to remember you, to understand what your business is about, to buy from you, and to become loyal to your brand.
These ideas will help you to ensure your stories are sticky, and these ideas specifically look at creating sustainability stories that stick.
It's not just words. Share videos and photos with these six iPhone apps that are purpose-built and create beautiful-looking photo and video stories.
Tips
Turn your photos into stories. A photo can tell a thousand words. But simply snapping away may not capture the story. These 10 tips will help you create photos that tell stories.
Do it Tim’s way. American entrepreneur, Tim Ferriss, shares his top tips on telling stories. While on stage. As he says, if you walk up with a smile – you’ll knock ’em dead!
It's story time! ‘Do Story – How to tell your story so the world listens' by Bobette Buster has been updated and expanded with chapters, artwork by Millie Marotta, plus practical tips and exercises. Discover how to take your own storytelling from good...to great.
As entrepreneur, Richard Branson, said: “Brand storytelling is a great way to get your point of view across, differentiate your brand, and work out new ideas. Today, if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur or leader, you also have to be a storyteller.”
Have you joined up to our "Six Week Welcome Email Series" yet? This takes you incrementally through setting a vision and generating ideas. Click the button below.
