Unlock Your Story
You want to get started with your signature speech, but you don’t know where to begin. You know you have a story that will leave your audience both laughing and crying (hopefully not from boredom) but you can’t figure out how to get the perfect balance of feelings, wisdom, tears, and joy into it. If this is you, you are in the right place!
We are the sum of all the experiences we have lived. No one on earth has lived the same experiences the way you have. This makes you uniquely qualified to share your story and the wisdom contained within. If you are ready to craft your captivating and inspiring story, here are 5 tips to help you get started!
- Reflect on Your Life Experiences
First things first, take a stroll down memory lane. If you are a journaler, revisit your old journals (if not, now would be a great time to take up journaling). Think about those moments in life that made you laugh, cry, or contemplate moving to a deserted island. We are talking about the time you accidentally wore mismatched shoes to a big meeting or that epic travel adventure where you got lost but found yourself (not literally, hopefully). Grab a notebook and jot these down. Remember, even the most embarrassing moments can turn into gold when you add a dash of wisdom.
On a more serious note, your traumas and trials can be a great place to look for the lessons in life. While it can be hard to revisit old traumas, it can also be very healing. Over time, you gain distance from those experiences and become more able to step away from the emotions attached to them. This allows you to see what potential message you can share. Sometimes, your traumas hold the inspiration and hope that others need to overcome their own traumas. When you are ready and able, sharing your story will not only help you heal, but can also be the lifeline someone else needs.
- Identify Your Core Message
Now that you have a treasure trove of stories, it is time to uncover the tidbits of wisdom in each one. What is the main lesson you want to share with your audience? What is the response, emotion, and thought you want them to leave with? Maybe it is about the importance of perseverance, the magic of kindness, or why you should always double-check your footwear. Whatever it is, your core message should be something that hits home for your audience and aligns with your grand purpose.
Now, some of you are thinking, “but I want to speak about my business,” or “my audience is professionals.” While specific audiences may be expecting certain things from you as a speaker, they always want the parts of you that make you relatable. Science, facts, and data are great, but they’re boring. You must be able to bring enough of your personal self to the speech to keep your audience engaged and let them get to know you.
Using this process of story-mining will help you with this. Even if you don’t use half of what you come up with in the process, revisiting your old memories may just give you some insight into why you do what you do and why teaching or sharing your info with your audience is so important to you.
- Choose a Relevant Story
Once you decide what your big take away is, pick a story that fits or relates to it. Remember that your lived experiences are interconnected and will somehow relate to the desired outcome of your speech. Your story will likely have a clear beginning where things are normal, a middle where chaos ensues, and an end where you come out wiser, perhaps a bit bruised, but definitely not broken, and will reinforce the overall message. Make sure your story is relatable. If you are talking to a room full of techies, use a story that will resonate with them. If you’re speaking to a room full of moms, use a story that they will relate to. Remember to include raw emotion and humor in your stories as these are the key to making it memorable.
- Highlight the Lessons Learned
Any great story is bound to have at least a few nuggets of wisdom inside it. How you present those nuggets is entirely up to you and is one of the most enjoyable parts of creating your signature speech. You can use humor and jokes, you can use anecdotes and personal experiences, or you can simply state the lesson learned in plain language.
However, you choose to do it, let the lesson shine in the story. Whether it is woven into the whole of the speech or delivered in a shock and awe manner like a bombshell, be sure to highlight these nuggets and let your audience soak up all that wisdom!
- Incorporate Emotional Elements
This is my favorite part of preparing a speech and practicing its delivery. To really grab your audience, you must use emotion. Emotions are the basis of our humanity. They allow us to connect with and relate to other people as well as allowing them to fully absorb our message.
Use vivid descriptions to paint a picture of your story’s high and low points. Set the scene of the experience. Share your thoughts and feelings – be creative and dramatic in your descriptions (maybe not Oscar-worthy dramatic, but you get the idea). Open and close with a thought-provoking or attention-grabbing statement. Be open and vulnerable and watch your story turn into an unforgettable one. With your story, you might be able to help someone else who is going through a similar experience – don’t be afraid to share the gift of your story with them!
These tips barely scratch the surface of what you can do when you really allow yourself to be honest, vulnerable, and open to sharing your life experiences. Everything you have been through has molded you into who you are right now, and you’re not done yet. Everything else you go through will continue to mold you, form you, and create the next version of you.
For more on getting started with your signature story-based speech, techniques to overcome performance anxiety and stage fright, or to simply see if the speaking stage is the next step for you, click HERE to book a free consultation or to download my free guide to getting started. I can’t wait to help you bring your story to life as we go from blank page to center stage!
Cheers!