Story Spark Day 26 - Build The Brand Story

Alright everyone, welcome to day 26 of StorySpark session, which is— today's topic is storytelling for personal branding. So we all hear about You need to have your personal brand, and everybody have their own perception. For me, as storytelling coach, I think one of the best tool for personal branding is where you are able to tell your authentic stories to the world. What happened, what's your journey, and why you do what you do. So that's what we are going to do here in today's session. So today we are actually going to do journaling twice. First we have some prompts, and then we are going to use a framework for crafting your personal brand. Then we will go and we'll share our personal brand story, and, and we'll end with, as usual, 3 affirmations which will again be related to the topic personal branding. So let's get started. So first I want you to think about all of us have a journey, or all of us I've had many things. And when it comes to personal branding, we want to highlight the things that we stand for. So there are few journals that is created here that I want you to have a look. So number one is— and what you want to do is you want to take one thing at this time, so do not put too many points for all these prompts. So take one journal prompt. Number 1 is: What turning point led you to your current journey? Number 2 is: What challenge shaped your mission or message? And the last one is: What belief or value do you stand by no matter what? So I'm going to give you 2 minutes to actually write down 1, 2, or maximum 3 sentences for, for all these 3 questions, and then we'll do the second part of, uh, story crafting. Okay, we are done with the first set of writing, and now that you have your turning point, your challenges which turn into mission or message or your belief or value, we are now going to get into the second part of the crafting, which is basically building your brand story. So there are 4 steps that is required to build your brand story. Number 1 is character— who are you? Number 2 is the conflict— what challenges changed you? Number 3 is the clarity— what insight did you gain? And And number 4 is the credibility as well. So I'm gonna also give an example on the right-hand side which will help you, which will help you. So example story character: I am a small town techie with big voice. Conflict: Years of being overlooked at meetings pushed me to learn storytelling. Clarity: I realized communication isn't a gift, it's a learnable skill. And credibility is now a coach professional's to own their voice and grow. So similarly, I want you to take another 2 to 3 minutes and build your brand story using character, conflict, clarity, and credibility.

Last 30 seconds.

Are you done or you need more time? Venkat, done?

Yes, Haritosh Srivastav.

Okay, Alka ji, are you done or you need more time? Are you done? Okay, let's start sharing. So, uh, I hope you enjoyed the exercise. Let's go ahead and share your personal brand stories. Let's start. With Venkat.

Now I take a first journaling point. What turning point led you to your current journal?

Wait, wait, wait. So don't tell us the first set of prompts. That was for you to get the data.

The—

I want you to tell your story. What is the story that you want for 3, the 4, uh 4C formula that we use for. So just tell us, and don't say this is the first point, second one, third point. Tell us in form of a story that, okay, this was me, this, that happened, and that's happened, that happened. So in form of story. So if you want to take 5-second formulate, do that, but don't tell it like you're telling, uh, answers to different questions. Tell it like a sequence. This is your brand, this is your brand story.

Okay, I was obese and I didn't have confident. The reason is my lifestyle, and the another one is my bald head. Because of the various reasons, I am— I was not a confident person. First time I joined gym, my master persuaded me to be a bodybuilder. For the master point of view, they, they are searching student, obedient student, and consistent students. I was one of those, that student. So he selected me and he trained me. My confidence built. I changed my body. My master transformed my body from 95 kg to 85 kg. Then he persuaded me to be bodybuilder. He explained that, Venkat, six-pack is owning a BMW car. So from zero to, you will get a BMW car by six-pack. So it creates my confidence. My body teaches lot than everything. When we work out, we get a discipline. We get— we, we do hard work. We accept our obese body. We, we are— we get a growth mindset during workout. So I, I learned a lot, and the body teaches the same. You will get a worst part after some time. That is, if you stop workout, your body teaches that, that is, you are going to do lifelong in the growth mindset, do action. If you stop doing, then it will have an impact. So the same thing I learned, um, I built a confidence by my body. After getting confidence, I take a lot of challenges. I started a small dry food shop, and then I started bakery. Then I, I took a decision to change my career to other, other discipline, from piping engineer to static equipment engineer. Then again I moved to piping engineering position, then got a work from home job, then I moved to Japan. The reason background is confidence. That confidence I got from my body. Thank you.

Absolutely amazing, great job, excellent story. So let's also give feedback because if you're here, let's also give feedback. So Alka ji, what's your feedback to Venkat's brand story, personal brand story?

So the story is very interesting. The pain can be exaggerated a bit because he only mentioned about the bald and the body. I think that would be a good idea to exaggerate the pain and the conflict part. And then the, the clarity is good, what clarity is coming out of the whole thing. And last, he has to add what he is doing right now, how he can be saying about how what he is doing right now is he can be helping people to get over their negative self-esteem or the negative self-talk or whatever his message is, that in one line you can craft it and you can tell that in what way you are helping the youngsters to not be affected by body shaming or by, by the, by the way you look. You are not what the way you look. So one line you can add in that. Thank you.

Awesome. I love that feedback as well. And my feedback is also going to be in lines. I think this is version 1, which is always messy. So you're already— you have gone from having no personal brand story to having the first version, which is the messy version. Now, some things that you need to do is, first of all, write it down and remove things which are not required. Because I think what is happening in, in your personal brand story, there's a lot of focus going on your master, which I'm not saying it is not important, but I think this is your personal brand story. So the focus should be on you, and this is not on master or whatever said. There is a place for that, you've mentioned that. I think the insight was also— the clarity or insight is also multiple points. You need to technically stick to one or maximum two points, which I could guess it could be one about discipline and your your— like you said, your body. If your body is like Mercedes, it affects other areas of life as well. I went on mute. Yeah, you need to make sure that there is clarity in clarity. You're getting what I'm trying to say? Yeah.

Yes, yes.

Don't, don't put too many messages, that will confuse the audience. And similarly, credibility part is also good, but I think Because I know your journey, you started with your body, uh, improvement in your body and all. And you are in the credibility, you're talking more about career perspective. So credibility, I know you have been, you participated in various bodybuilding competition, you won in various state level and all of those. You need to mention that. There is nothing, there is no shame in telling something that you have achieved, right? It's not about you telling a lie or something. So that way it will be congruent. Because if you start with body and end with career, there's a little bit of disconnect which is happening. You can indirectly connect, of course, your— if your body is good, you can— it affects other areas, but stick to the core of it. Okay, but great job and story power to you, SPTY.

Thanks, Haritosh Srivastav.

Welcome. Let's now go to Alka ji. So Alka ji, tell us your brand story.

So what I have prepared is that same story of mine.

Okay, stop, stop, stop. One big mistake a lot of people do, and I sometimes I also do, when I ask you to tell a story or brand story, don't give the context, unnecessary context. I am going to tell you this, let me tell you a story. This is one of the mistake. Get on to the story because we don't want to waste the first 10 to 15 seconds. So just start straight away, start. So I'm gonna invite you once again. And you shared your brand story. So let's hear from Dr. Alka about her personal brand story.

I am a doctor from Mumbai practicing for the last 30+ years. I'm reminded of a time in my life when I fell down and I broke my bone. It was not about the fracture of my bone, but it was the fracture of my spirit. My spirit was broken. My— and, and at that time I realized that when I was lying on the hospital bed, the Universe was telling me to slow down, to take a pause. And today, when I realize that that time was so important for me, when I slowed down and when I took a pause and I changed the trajectory of my life, I went within myself, I changed my mindset, and I did the things that I had to do. I did the breathwork, and I did— I met a lot of people. I met a lot of— I don't know, like, what I want. I got the purpose of my life at that time. And with the change of my thoughts and my mindset, today I'm here helping people and organizations to come out of their challenges of burnout. And I'm helping individuals, and I am helping people to create happy workplaces so they elevate themselves to a level. I'm not prepared. I think I made up a mess. I'm— I want to do it again.

You did it pretty well except the last 10 seconds. Okay, great job. Let's give her a feedback. So let's hear from Venkat. What's your feedback?

In the Alcamam story, um, conflict part, she can explain and detail things. After a conflict, you explained about change and everything you explained, but I expect what conflict and that I expect. That's all.

Okay, thank you, Venkat. So I'm gonna say that, uh, this is again like in the start we tend to give a lot of context. In the end also we feel that we haven't done a good job. But what I want you to do is finish what you start and then improve. If you don't finish the first version, you can't go to the second version. So you are doing very good. I was very happy Because you had all the four, almost all the four elements. You had character, talked about your journey, you had the conflict where you felt, you know, burned out, you were not able to move, you had your accident and all of those. And then you also got clarity and insight that you need to slow down, you need to take steps. And then you also had credibility. Now you are helping people, you are helping people to slow down, take the happy And then you did whatever is not expected, is you thought I need to improve on the go and say I'm messing it up. Actually, it was going very good, right? Yes. That's one of the things that you need to do is finish whatever, and that is probably— that could be the insight from today's session is finish what you start and then improve. You can't improve on the fly, right? I mean, unless until you get to a stage where you are able to gain that, okay, I'm going this way, maybe I can slightly update. But finish what you start. Your brand story was going beautiful. I was like, wow, amazing. And then you messed it yourself. Other thing is, even if you're messing it up in your mind, don't tell it to audience. They don't need, they don't know. So maybe they are thinking you are the expert, you are the go-to guy. But if you say, and this is another mistake a lot of people do, they will go to a Toastmaster meeting, they will go to another attending people or any other thing. They're doing it for the first time, and the first sentence that they do is, I'm sorry guys, I'm doing it for the first time. You have took your brand visibility, your whatever credibility from here to completely down, because people think, oh, this guy is, or this girl is novice, he or she doesn't know. Let them judge you. So don't, don't say that, oh, this is my first time sharing my personal story. Maybe it is much better than people who have shared it 1,000 times. So why, why let them bring this? It's also related to psychology. Don't give them pointers to bring the negative in your speech, in your story. Let them do their homework. Okay, but great job. So except the last 10 seconds when, where you got too much into your head, it was beautiful. And just keep on refining. So insight is finish what you start and then rebuild. All right, and definitely go through today's recording. You have got great story, so you can use that to refine it further.

All right, what is a good name to give to this story?

This is Anka's story, Venkat's story.

So struggling with that, you don't need to.

No, this is called your personal story. So where can you use— next question— where can you use your personal story? You can use it on social media. For example, LinkedIn, Facebook profiles. You can use it when you go to interviews, if somebody interviews you or you are going for that. You can use it for your podcast, you can use it on your website, and yeah, it doesn't have to have a name. For example, on website you always have a section called About Me, then you can put that story. It's your story, nobody can question that.

Yeah.

Awesome. So with that said, let's share the insights that you have. I know it's a little longer session today, but it's okay, it's Saturday. So Venkat, what were your major takeaway from today's session? Major insights?

Today I got a first version of my brand story. Yes. So I need to revise and rebuild.

Okay. How about you, Alka ji? What were your major takeaway from today's session?

Many, many takeaways because Because I think when, when you start speaking, no, then you have to just go on speaking whatever you want to speak. What I'm thinking in my head is I'm not saying the right thing. It's okay, but if it is wrong, just say it because Haritosh Srivastav is there to correct it. But by, by making those statements, you know, some in the beginning and in the end, I messed up the whole message. So I'm going to make a new message and I put it up on, on the group.

Yeah, I'm gonna say that is— that could be the action item for both of you today, that you rewrite your personal brand story or update it and just post it in the group. Do not— you don't need to give any explanation, just post it and hear the feedback from others. Okay, so with that, let's now move to the last segment, which is about the 3 Affirmations. I'm gonna spotlight myself. I'm gonna bring on the affirmation. So let's start with affirmation number 1. I am the voice of my own brand.

I am the—

I am the voice of my own brand.

I'm the voice of my own brand. Yeah.

Second one, my story is my unique advantage.

My story.

My story is my unique advantage.

And last one for today is I inspire through my truth.

I inspire through my truth.

Awesome. So story power to both of you. Thank you for showing up, and I hope you learned something. So I'm gonna wait for the next version of your personal brand story. And another announcement, tomorrow is going to be the last StorySpark session for the month of April. So then I'll take a 3, 4, 3 days break or something, and then we'll restart on 1st May. So yeah, we'll have another challenge, another fun, but make sure you define your personal brand. This is what will define you. All right, have a great rest of the weekend, enjoy, and see you tomorrow morning.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Bye.