312: 3 Stories You Can Share NOW to Serve Your Audience

Hey movers, it's Sally Z with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're going to talk with amazing speakers, share tips, tricks, resources, and we are going to be moved so that our audience can be moved. This moved me. What is moving you. Where are you at? That's my question for you as we start this. Where are you at? Where is your energy level today? I'd love to know. Well, here we are, and I wanna dive right in because I have a hard stop and there's some really important information I wanna share with you today, information that I hope will be helpful for you as you are stepping out front. Now, we, I am a story-driven speaker coach, and what I mean by that is stories are at the center of what we do. As we build a signature talk, we start with our stories. As we show up for our audience, we put story first, story at the center. Because stories are how we connect with our audience most powerfully. They are persuasive magic and they build trust and authority and connection better than anything else out there. So that's awesome. We're like, yay, stories. And then we get kind of stuck in this spot where we're like, Okay. What is— how? What does that mean? A lot of people come to the realization that they know they need to do stories, but feel stuck in things like, I don't have any stories to tell. My life is boring. Nothing really intense has happened to me, and, or maybe it did, but Like not lately. And what are the stories that we tell as we show up to be more visible with your audience? So before I dive in and share with you a few of the stories that can help you show up and be more visible, just a few categories of stories that will help you dive in and pull some stories out of your life to share, what I wanna know from you is what makes showing up and sharing your story hard for you? What are some of the things that go through your head? Is it things like, I don't have any stories. I lead a boring life. Who am I to even have a story? I don't have a story. Like, who wants to hear my story? My story's not interesting. Maybe it's, I don't know how to really tell a great engaging story. I'd love to know. Storytelling is vulnerable because it is sharing who we are and it's sharing how the perspective that we have on the world. And what will they think of me? Stepping out front, we are stepping into judgment. It's true. Yes, I feel that. I hear that. Nobody is gonna show up to hear Ooh, I'll be talking to an audience of one, me. I don't know how to tell an engaging story. Who am I to share? Is it really that big of a deal? Am I making a big deal out of something that isn't a big deal? I think it's a big deal. Will other people think it's a big deal? Yes. And I'm sure that there's more. The more we kind of dive into that space, it's like, yes, I feel that. Yes, yes, yes. I feel all of that. And all of that is absolutely part of the journey. You're not alone in thinking those things and feeling those things. So let me speak to each one of those just a little bit, and then I'm going to share with you the, the 3 stories that you already have in your life that can help you step out front and share them more easily. So stepping into judgment. Yes. There is no way of avoiding that. That's kind of the reality. And I know you know this, but just as a reminder, when we step out front, we are stepping into judgment. And so we have to find a space, find the right mindset, find the right belief system that pushes out us out front anyway. And we don't let that direct what us showing up and serving our audience when we know that it is needed. And it is the right thing to do. We show up and we don't let that direct us. Now, it's impossible to not let it affect us, but it doesn't need to direct us. So we're, we're do our best to make that distinction so that you can show up anyway, despite judgment. One of the most helpful things that I have realized in my journey is this, and this is what I tell myself all the time. People already don't like me. I am living under a mythical reality when I behave as if everybody is like, yeah, I'm— if everybody thinks I'm awesome, because that is absolutely not true. I can tell you every time I show up online, I gain a few followers and I lose a few followers. That's fine. That is how it goes. But you're finding the people who respond to you when we show up authentically. That's why it's so important to show up authentically because it draws the right people to you. So good reminders there. I hope that's helpful. Greta, nobody will show up to hear me. I will be talking to an audience of one. Believe me, I have done that plenty of times. It still happens and it's just part of the growth process. So especially when we are showing up online, I want you to think beyond this moment right here. So if anybody, if somebody doesn't show up live with you in the moment, what's great about social media is that tends, the videos tend to live on, right? You can repurpose them. So I want you to know who you are talking to, even if it is one person, because we want that feeling anyway. We want it to feel like we are speaking to one person, not like a generic whole many people. So use that to your advantage to create a connection and personalization with your audience, and then you can turn around and share it more broadly. So there will be more than just one person seeing it. And if it is just you, you're not talking to you, you are talking to your audience. So bring that person to mind and talk directly to them, heart to heart. We are going for. You to one, you to one, you to one. And if there's 200 people there, it's still you to one and you to one and you to one. Melissa says, I don't know how to tell an engaging story. It is a craft and it takes a long time and a lot of effort to focus on that craft. And it's an ongoing iterative thing we gotta brush up on. And so you are in the process of learning. You are in the throes of it. And because I know you are in STS, there are some resources in Movers U that I want you to go check out, Melissa, as you are in this journey. But the most important thing that you can do is keep showing up and keep trying because we learn by doing. It's a learn by doing situation here. And then Is what I have to share really that good? Well, there's self-judgment in that, and then there's concern about other judgment in that. As long as you are open heart first and you're putting in some effort to make sure that what you're offering is clear, and you've done some work around what your audience needs, then it's worth trying. It's worth showing up and putting it out there. You're gonna get feedback when things resonate. People will respond when you start hitting on those resonant, needed things. So it's kind of an experiment until you know that for sure. So go in with the mindset and heart of, yep, this is gonna be helpful, this is powerful, this is important, and then you'll get feedback and you learn. That is this process. You show up, you share, you get feedback, you adjust, you iterate, you come back and you share. It's not a, I've, I'm done, I've hit it, and now I'm gonna show up and do that. That might be true in the moment, but then in the next moment, the world has changed. You've changed. This person has changed. The everything evolves and iterates. That was awesome to hear from you on this. Yeah, it's all an experiment. That's, You're absolutely right, Melissa. She says, "I need to go in with a mindset that it's all an experiment." Yeah, it's a process. There's no arriving. There's no waiting for the exact perfect moment. There's no waiting until you've got it all figured out because that, it's a myth. Nobody has it all figured out. There are just those who are willing to try before that and those who are waiting and waiting too long. And that's the, the whole intention of this is to help you do some of that thinking and processing. Like, okay, I'm gonna go for it anyway. I'm gonna show up anyway. I'm gonna lower the bar for myself enough that I can really show up and love up my audience. Experiment. Give it a go. There's no harm. There really isn't. There might be, there might be some harm if you show up and you do something that is not helpful. But it, to me, that is more informative and more important than never showing up. You won't know that until you show up and try. I love that experiment sort of mindset and mode. We are talking about 3 stories that you already have in your life that you can draw on to share with your audience. So I put them in 3 different categories, and the first category I wanna talk to you about is the easiest one to tell. And that is our customer stories. These are the easiest to share because they're not about us. And sometimes those stories can feel especially vulnerable and, you know, it's just, there's more of a process in doing that. And most people find it easier to tell other people's stories. So as long as you have their permission, and then you can. And the integrity in this is really important. Having their permission and staying true to the story is really important. But you can share a customer story. What has their journey been like? And it's a great way to side benefit, of course, draw some attention to what it is that you do and the transformation that you are creating. So think about a handful. Of customers or clients or fill in the blank with students, whatever they are to you. Customer is kind of, I don't really like that word actually. I'm like, ugh, customer is, it sounds like a, just a transaction experience. And I know that's not what it is. You guys are my big-hearted entrepreneurs. That's not what that is, but whoever it is that you serve, what are the stories they have and how can you share those stories? So right now, as you are going through this, I want to hear, yes, I have some customer stories, or I need to do some thinking about that. Where are you at with the, the customer stories? Hopefully you've got some of these and you can start to share them, even if they are not totally where you want them to be in terms of their journey. Share their journey, share where they're at, share where they're struggling with, because If you have found somebody that you're working with that is like, oh yeah, I want to work with more people like this, and you start telling their story, you're going to draw more of the same kind of person to you. Okay. So tell some customer stories. The second story, kind of story that you have in your life every day, all around you are the everyday stories. These are the stories that require us, and I've done some talking here. I did a story series a few months ago, and maybe I'll try and find it and reshare it in here, but the Everyday Stories are all about you bringing perspective to the everyday moments that are happening around you all the time. We often think stories have to be about a big, huge moment. They don't. They can be about what is happening in the everyday. What makes them magical, what makes them engaging, what makes them resonant is the connection that you make between that moment and what it could potentially mean to your audience. Let me repeat that because it's really important. What your job is with the everyday stories is take an everyday moment that you have noticed that stands out to you for some reason, and you make the connection between that experience and what it means to your audience or could potentially mean to your audience. So in order to tell everyday stories, guess what we need to do? And guess how we need to approach the everyday? Seeing with what my wonderful friend Tiffany Maddock calls seeing with story eyes. And what that means is we've got to notice things. We have to be open to being moved in my language, so that we can turn around and share that movement, share that magic with our audience. Now there's one really important piece with this as we talk about audience, and I'm gonna get to that in a moment because it's, it's important for all of these, but it is especially important for that one. So where are you at with your everyday stories? How is it going? Is this something that you do? Do you feel comfortable with your everyday stories? I'm curious what of these, that as we're moving through them, you're like, oh, this one's hard for me, or no problem. Now I'm moving up in difficulty. We have the customer story, the everyday story, and the final story, which is essential for you to know. And to feel really comfortable sharing, and that is the origin story. The origin story is often the story that we build our signature talks around. Now, we have many, many origin stories in our life. So if you, if you're like, I don't totally understand what you mean by origin story, Sally, what I mean by that is it is the story of where something began. So if you are an entrepreneur, a big-hearted entrepreneur, this idea that you are bringing out into the world started somewhere. There is an experience that you had or you witnessed that made you say, this is important and I wanna do something about it. That moment right there is your origin story for your business. You might have an origin story around a particular line of messaging or a particular point. That you make a lot, that you care a lot about. You might have an origin story around for yourself in terms of like where, how you even got pointed in this direction. But the origin story, I want you to think of it as it's why you're doing whatever it is that you're doing. It's why you wanna make that point. It's why you're doing business. It's why Fill in the blank. The origin story, what's so powerful about it is it shares the why. And the why helps us persuade. We have to know the why in order to understand what the significance is, why it matters. It's important. So we've got our customer story, our everyday story, and our origin story. With all of these, with all of these, there is one especially important thing, and that is to use the filter of audience empathy. And here's what I mean by that. Like, you could tell a customer story, but if it isn't through the filter of what your audience is dealing with, What do they need help with? What are they struggling with? What is the empathetic resonance that— so stories can do is they bring resonance and connection and empathy. But if you aren't using your own filter of like, what, what would my audience need from this? What is my, what could my audience take from this? If we don't use that filter, then what we're doing may feel and sound a little bit like pablum. To the audience. So for instance, today I decided to— I'm doing this video shoot and some photos tomorrow, and I know that this is something that a lot of my audience does or wants to do more of. It has it on their bucket list. And so I decided, knowing that filter, I'm going to share the story happening in my everyday right now around getting ready for this. Okay. There might be some people who are not there, and then I will learn that based on if people respond to it or not. But as I show up and experiment and throw it out there and try, I'm learning really what is the, what is the audience empathy connection that I can bring out more in my everyday? How can I be of most of help? In terms of my origin story, how I want to frame that so that the audience, my audience says, yes, you have been where I have been. You are, you have been, you've had the experience where I wanna go even, or your struggles are a lot like the struggles I've had. That right there, that filter will help you show up more intentionally with your stories. Okay. So as you think about what customers' experiences, what have my clients, my people, my audience, what have they gone through that I know more of my audience would want to hear more about and what can they take from it? What are you trying to say with this? What is that piece that you want to underline as you're sharing this story? And then the everyday stories, like what does your audience care about? What do they want to see more of? What they might, what might they be interested in? And then your origin story as well. So my guess is none of this is totally new for you. These, I hope, are reminders, important reminders for you that you have all these stories. They already exist in your life. And so now it's a matter of taking some time and doing a little brainstorming. Who's— what are some customer stories that I can share? What am I noticing around me every day? How are you going to capture those and collect those so that they are with you to just pay attention? Are you creating enough time and space in your life for those everyday moments to strike you? And then for you to do something with it. And your origin stories need some time and space for you to reflect, for you to think back, and for you to bring those to light. Melissa says, "How do you share the struggle without sounding too depressing or wah-wah, like it's attention-seeking?" Oh, that is a good question. I'm curious about the worry about sounding too depressing or wah-wah because the truth is the harm or the struggle, that's the piece that people connect with. It's a universal. I think when you can tap into the universal struggle, that's where resonance lives. So that, that is our job. Is to really take an individual experience and say, what does this have to do with what my audience is, where they are and what they're struggling with? And when you can tap into that, that forms a really important connection. It's, it's important to think about what that overall balance is for you as you are bringing that out front. Maybe that is part of your brand, right? You don't have to stay there very long for there to be a connection. So it's really a matter of, you know, establishing that connection and then helping people move through that versus staying in that space. Okay. Greta says, my daughters and grandchildren were challenged with COVID So mom granny unable to enter and assist them. I felt so helpless. My audience— yes, feels the exact same way until I show up for them. Totally. This gave me a connection to my audience in feeling their helpless— helplessness and isolation that comes from fear of shame and condemnation. Yes, absolutely. So what you've done is you've taken this everyday moment And that you've identified what that universal feeling is, isolation, fear of shame and condemnation, and you have then applied it to your audience's story and what they need. I love that. That is exactly it. It's almost like our everyday stories are metaphorical in some way. Beautiful. Very nice. Love it. If I could give a little star, a star, extra bonus points. All right, team, excellent work today. I'm equipping you with 3 stories that you can turn around and share now with your audience, right? Work on those bingo sheets. I see people moving along. I'm like watching people's visibility go up. Up and up, and I am cheering you on. You are doing so great. Keep it going. I got you. I got you. Reach out for help. I am gonna be— we're gonna be sharing some of the Movers Lab retreats that we are doing here for the next few days. We'll see you soon.