Want People to Care About Your Work? Start With a Story
The story you tell about your cause or project is crucial. Humans are hard-wired to connect and learn through stories. As a leader, when you tell a powerful story, it can clarify your purpose and make an idea feel real. If people are inspired by your story, they’ll tell it to others. When that happens, you widen your circle and grow your influence.
In the Local Leader Lab, we have women write success stories for their civic projects before their work goes live. Here’s why telling your story matters and how to write a story that makes a lasting impact.
Why telling your story matters
Motivation: telling it to yourself
The story of your project should be linked to your deepest values, and to the reason you’re stepping up in the first place. Telling your story to yourself reminds you of your purpose and gives you grit.
When you work on your story early, you can use it as a tool to visualize and manifest your goal. You can use it to have something to reflect on, anticipate challenges, and sharpen your plan. In the Local Leader Lab, women imagine that their project is complete and that it worked even better than they had hoped. Then, they picture one moment from that day that showed them that their work mattered.
Connection: Telling it to others
We’re hard-wired as humans to love stories; people are far more likely to remember stories than statistics. Stories connect us emotionally, which helps our brains connect as well.
Stories bring your purpose to life. A good story is how you’ll attract passionate followers. It’s the difference between getting a yes or a no when you ask for help.
Reach: When others tell your story
Reporters and influencers are looking for great stories. If you have a great story to tell, they’ll be more likely to respond to you and want to share it. Talking with these people is a fast way to reach new audiences.
The other way others can tell your story is through word of mouth. When people are inspired by your story, they’ll tell it to others. And when that happens, you widen your circle and grow your impact
How to tell a powerful story
Passion = power. That’s really it. If you share why your work matters and how you feel about it, you’re halfway there.
Get personal
People naturally respond to stories about specific people. Talking about yourself is natural and usually the most resonant. But you can also tell the story of someone who’s directly affected by the work you’re doing.
Focus on what’s at stake emotionally and why it matters
Ask yourself a few questions:
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What do you want and why does it matter?
Start with the need and give context about what was at stake. Don’t be afraid to talk about your emotions! Sharing how you really feel, especially when you’re scared or doubtful, draws people in and helps them relate.
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What will shift for the people you reached?
How will real people’s lives be transformed? If you have concrete statistics to support your story, that’s great. But start with the emotion, then move to the data.
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How did you feel when you realized that your work made a difference?
Sharing your own emotions about seeing your work matter is a potent way to get people invested. Don’t let the facts speak for themselves; talk from your heart.
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What do you want people to think and feel about your work after hearing your story?
There are a million stories you can tell, and a million ways you can tell your story and still have it ring true. Once you’ve answered those questions, think about specific points you want to make and messages you want to share. Map each story to those points.
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Who will you be talking to?
Your story is your story, but you can tailor the details to different audiences, depending on what you want them to relate to most. For example, if you’re sharing your story with other leaders, you may want to emphasize your impact; if you’re sharing it with potential followers, you may want to stress the impact they can make.
A few storytelling tips
Beyond getting the emotion down, you can make your work really land by using a few techniques to help your story resonate.
Think about your main messages and how they resonate
Use a strong, active voice and short, punchy, purposeful sentences for your main points so that they really ring out. Try connecting your personal experience to a universal truth. Consider using a parallel structure for your most important points. Repetition can be really convincing (think “I have a dream”).
Keep it simple
Avoid complicating your words with “official-ese” or unnecessary jargon. “Use” lands better than “utilize,” for example. If you feel like you’re sounding condescending or singsongy, change your sentence structure instead of inflating your vocabulary.
Steal the stories you love
Most professional storytellers save stories they admire. They think about why those stories worked, then explore how they can use the same techniques. You can also refer to them for inspiration when you’re blocked (which also happens to professional storytellers, by the way).
Working on your story of a project or cause in the early stages can help you manifest your outcome and steel your motivation. It brings your purpose for the work to life. It naturally inspires people much more than a simple call to action ever will. And as people start hearing and retelling your story, you’ll expand your reach and grow your power. That’s the magic of storytelling!