Storytelling: Inspire and Wow Your Audience

The Power of a Good Story

Whenever I want to challenge an idea or affirm someone in a space I'm holding, I immediately jump into a story. It's just a habit of mine, if you actually know me you likely have been a victim of my storytelling at least once.

I usually get super excited to share stories about my time living in Africa, other world travels, my work and clients, or growing up in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

I'm full of random stories like the time I had to defend mental health to a Scientologist principal in Battle Mountain Nevada who was blocking my grant programs from helping kids. Or the canoe journey where I got to see the Lummi tribe in Washington State host other tribes in a tradition taught from generation to generation. Or you might have heard about the time I got locked in a port-o-potty in the middle of Lake Victoria and thought I'd live in the toilet in Africa for the remainder of my life.

Good times. All were definitely good times.

See how I used storytelling on you already... now you're like "what else is she going to tell me about this week?"

Hello, 2023- New Year... New Stories!

This is the first LinkedIn newsletter of the new year and I am here to share more of the journey with you. This year I'm working on aligning my core stories and content to connect with like-minded and like-hearted souls. That means people like you! ??

As I explore more and more facets of social entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social impact work... I hope you are inspired to look within your own journey and find ways to increase your ability to serve your purpose.

My goal is for the community of social entrepreneurs that are connecting with me and my story on all the social media platforms will have a way to connect with each other in 2023. Pretty big goal, right?

More Podcast Episodes Are Coming!

The stories that have been shared on the Social Impact Level Up Podcast in season 1 are absolutely magical. Every time I listen to the stories I shared I'm like "wow... I forgot all about that!"

Stories have a way of living on and helping others learn through the trials and tribulations, joys, and wins we experience throughout life. The creativity that is shared through stories is what drives a lot of podcast listeners to binge a whole season of episodes.

In Season 2 we're making a small shift to tell more stories of individual social entrepreneurs. The value that you'll get from hearing more in-depth about the motivation of people who are helping the world be a better place and their passion is already getting me very very excited!

In anticipation of that, I figured let's spend some time working on your story! Maybe one day you'll want to be on the podcast too. While we await Season 2, I'll share some important tips about telling your story and a few ways you can dig into the work right now.

Guess What? Your Story Matters.

This is an excerpt from a blog post I released yesterday titled: The Power of Storytelling: How Nonprofit Leaders Can Inspire and Wow Their Audience

Telling your story is crucial for a number of reasons. Communicating your story connects you and your audience on a deeper level. When you share your organization's mission, values, and goals, you clearly convey your passion and dedication to your cause. This is an incredibly powerful and inspiring way to engage and motivate others to get involved in your work.

Storytelling also helps to build trust and credibility with your audiences. When you are transparent about your organization's work and share the impact you are making, you demonstrate your commitment to transparency and accountability. This builds trust with donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders and is essential for the long-term success of your organization.

Finally, telling your story is crucial to attracting new supporters and resources. By sharing your story, you showcase the impact you are making and the need for your work. This can help to attract new donors, volunteers, and other resources that can help you to expand your reach and impact.

How To Tell Your Story

Effectively telling your story to others is a skill you can grow. With practice, that skill will turn into a valuable platform for your continued success. These steps will get you started and keep you strategic.

1. Identify your key messages Before you start sharing your story, it's important to identify the key messages you want to convey. Your key messages are the content you will share over and over again in different creative ways to attract your supporters. By identifying your key messages, you can ensure that you are consistently conveying the most important information about your organization.
2. A few key messages include: What is the mission of your organization? What are your values and goals? What impact are you making in the world??
3. Use storytelling techniques To effectively share your story, it's important to use storytelling techniques to engage and inspire your audience. By using storytelling techniques, you can help your audience to better understand and connect with your work. You also make your content more engaging and build a stronger connection with your audience.
4. A few storytelling techniques you can use include:?anecdotes, quotes, and other elements to bring your story to life.
5. Be authentic It's important to be authentic when sharing your story. Don't be afraid to share the challenges and setbacks you have faced, as well as the successes. Being open and honest about your organization's journey can help to build trust and credibility with your audience.
6. Ways to be authentic: share your values or vision, be transparent about outcomes and things that work/didn’t work, and give space to your community members to share their experiences.
7. Use visual content Visual content can be an incredibly powerful tool for sharing your story. Visual content helps to bring your story to life and make it more engaging and memorable for your audience.
8. Visual content examples: photos, videos, or infographics are great ways to share information-rich content. Graphics, images, and videos can be used in email marketing and on social media to build your brand and reach your audience in a meaningful way.
9. Share your story across multiple channels There are many different channels you can use to share your story, including social media, your website, newsletters, and in-person events. It's important to utilize a variety of channels to reach as many people as possible.

Don’t Be The Best-Kept Secret

Remember, telling your story is an essential part of being a social impact leader. By sharing your mission, values, and impact, you will connect with your audience, build trust and credibility, and attract new supporters and resources. Being the best-kept secret will not support your long-term sustainability and success.

It's time to stop being the best-kept secret and align your strategy for impact with your communications strategy. This month I created a 30-day challenge to help you do just that.

Uplevel Your Story: 30-Day Challenge?

Getting over your fear and unlocking the power of your story takes practice.

That's why I'm sharing the work I'm doing to dig into my own story with you! Together we'll...

• Hone in on the core stories that make us who we are
• Repurpose existing content and stories to reach new audiences
• Practice creating stories specifically for the audiences you need to support your success.

The best part about this challenge is the level of support I built in that comes to your inbox on day 1. You'll get weekly challenge videos, weekly content examples, a workbook to guide you, and a 3-page PDF calendar of content ideas.

Make An Impact Through Your Story

One of the things I've discovered in the past year is the power of telling your story. This year while I've shared more of the content of from the podcast I've had friends and strangers alike say "wow, that was so inspirational. Thanks for sharing your story" or some variation of that.

I just assumed people didn't really care about my story or wouldn't watch my content. What I've found is, people actually love hearing me tell them random stories!

(Which is great for me who loves to tell random stories!)

I hope you're prepared for more stories in 2023 through our little LinkedIn newsletter that continues to grow every day. Thanks for being part of the community.

Make sure you comment on this article/post with your thoughts on telling your story. I'd love to hear from you!

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****P.S.***

The photos shared in the lead image and this post are from March 2006 when I lived in Uganda and completed a needs assessment for village schools. During a weekend excursion to the Sesse Islands, I got locked in a pit latrine toilet made of wood walls too high to climb out of. I assumed I'd live in that pit latrine for the rest of my life since no one at the camp could hear me yelling for help. But alas, I figured out how to free myself by using the cover for the pit latrine. Two pieces of wood that made the shape of a "T". I was able to open the outside lock that had become jammed when I closed the door and found myself jumping out of the latrine just as someone walked up. I would have been rescued but the story is much better with me jumping out to freedom.

Photos in Lead image:

• Me relaxing on a hammock (my favorite past time) on the beach of Lake Victoria
• My friends Laura, Christine, and her cousin hanging out in Kampala at a local business owned by Christine's family
• The magical sunset over Lake Victoria