By Ariel Colhoun Passionate about increasing the sphere of influence for women & driving positive change.
The Storyteller
Did you ever notice the best speakers are the ones who always tell a great story? When it comes to driving your business forward in our ever-expanding competitive world, we need to know our craft down pat. Let's face it - we are all in the business of creating compelling stories to attract our audiences. So what sets businesses and their people apart? Fine-tuning the art of engaging their audience, mastering the art of storytelling, and years of experience, at both. The best storytellers all know how to connect with their audiences and create instant appeal.
What's Your Pitch?
Creating your pitch is much like that of a great storyteller. Great storytellers are engaging and have the ability to draw you in and place yourself right into their stories. Great storytellers have you gripping on the edge of every spoken word in anticipation, eagerly waiting to want to know more. The stories you share about you and your business goals can make a world of difference when it comes to attracting the right people to help you carry out these goals.
We all have wishes, goals and dreams but now it's your turn to think about how you articulate these goals when sharing them with others. The art of storytelling is central to any business or new venture and if you are going to need help from others to fulfill your goals, you need an engaging and compelling pitch. And more importantly, you never know who you will meet at any given time, so having your pitch down pat is imperative. Being able to clearly express your story will help assist others to understand and support you. Like a scientist, how can you prove a theory if you can’t articulate your hypothesis?
In the book WEconomy by Craig Kielburger, Holly Branson and Marc Kielburger, Branson paints a great image when she describes the oh so familiar butterflies that comes with pitching your story ...
"Many Sunday evenings, while sitting on my sofa watching budding business moguls pitch their idea or product to a room full of dragons (or tank full of sharks in the United States), I'd thank my lucky stars that I wasn't one of them. If you've ever had to pitch to a room full of strangers, you know what I mean ... that first day of school, the first moments of a blind date, a dream job interview you've been praying for all pale to insignificance compared to the trepidation and anticipation of putting your dream in the hands of people who could make it a reality. It's the 10 minutes that could change your life forever - just as long as you don't mess up!"
Try Your Story Out Before You Share It
If you are not used to being in the limelight or storytelling is not your forté, then you definitely need to put the extra effort in if your story is an integral part of your business' success.
Here are a few tips:
Do your research. Know your purpose, your vision, your competitors, your target market. Is your pitch socially conscious?
Crystallize your thoughts. Use as few words as possible and make sure the words you do choose are effective and relatable.
Write it down - you need to write your pitch down, practice, practice some more, and memorize it. End of story.
Keeping your notes/story on your phone so it's readily accessible in case you need to add, change, edit, fine-tune ... your story will always be a work in progress so having it top of mind is key.
Bounce ideas off your friends, family, and colleagues. Get an outside but honest opinion.
Record a video of your pitch. Watch it back, self-critique, and work on improving all the parts that need improvement. Pay attention to your body language and avoid the use of filler words like "uh" and "ummm".
Speak Your Truth
The Myth - Storytelling is for entertainment purposes only and often elaborated beyond the truth.
Ok. Let's not confuse storytelling with the lack of authenticity or truth. When storytelling relates to your credibility and your authenticity, you need to speak your truth. Telling fibs or tales will never get you anywhere and the truth will always rise to the surface. Your stories must represent who you are on the whole and what you believe in. When you pitch your story you need to sell yourself and nothing appeals more to others than a story that reveals values and honesty. So don't change your story for the sake of changing your story in hopes of appealing to others. Being you and only you will help to get you where you need to go.
So break down those barriers, crush your vulnerabilities and take a chance on you and you may surprise yourself to see that speaking your truth to your audience is where you get the best traction with fulfilling your goals.
Opportunity
Pitch every time you have an opportunity, but always make sure the moment is right. There is a fine balance between being entertaining versus being downright annoying. When you are making your pitch pay attention to social cues. If you are in desperation, others may sense it and be turned off completely and disengage. Alternatively, if the moment isn’t right, or you aren’t receiving the interest you are expecting, change the topic and lighten the mood.
Master Your Story
If you can master the art of storytelling and apply it to your pitch, you will be able to draw an attentive crowd and place them right in the heart of your dreams. And once you’ve accomplished that, the doors of opportunity widen just a little bit more to help you gain even more momentum for your wish journey.
All posts are intended strictly for educational purposes. It is not intended to make any representations or warranties about the outcome of any product/service.
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