Storytelling Seven: How to Influence Your Own Story
I\u2019m teaching an Improv class where everyone is doing an exercise called \u201cHeadlines\u201d. We\u2019re standing in a circle on stage, and one by one, we each share an outlandish headline we\u2019ve made up on the spot.
But there\u2019s a twist: each person has to start their headline with the last word from the previous person\u2019s headline. So, for example, if the prior person says, \u201cLife found on planet Pluto\u201d as their headline, the next person has to start their headline with the word \u201cPluto\u201d. It\u2019s a hilarious exercise that has us holding our tummies from laughing so hard.
One week later, I\u2019m meeting with a client who says to me:
\u201cI\u2019m thinking about the year ahead, and there are so many things I want to do and create. I don\u2019t know where to start.\u201d
In that moment, my mind goes back to the Headline game. So I ask her:
\u201cWhat if we fast-forward a year? In your favorite publication, there\u2019s a headline about you, your business, your life. What does that headline say?\u201d
She loves the idea of doing this exercise! And I invite you to do the same in the first episode of a new podcast series I\u2019m calling the Storytelling Seven, where you get bite-sized tools and tactics you can put in practice right now to take yourself to the next level.\xa0
Today on the Storytelling School Podcast, you\u2019ll learn about how you can use the Headline exercise to set goals and create a vision for the story of your future. You\u2019ll get answers to questions like:
How can headlines be used as teasers for stories? How do you create a headline and reverse-engineer the actions needed to achieve it? And why is celebrating your success so important?
What you will learn in this episode:
- How to influence your own story by creating a headline
- What steps to take to create your headline when setting goals
- Why celebrating success is a necessity
A little about me:
Hi there. I\u2019m Kymberlee.
As a Speaking Strategist and founder of Storytelling School, I\u2019ve had the pleasure of working with over 500 speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs worldwide for over a decade. No matter if those folks were getting ready to take the TED or TEDx stage or preparing for a high-stakes presentation with everything on the line, my specialty is High Stakes Short Form Communication. I\u2019ve seen what works when influencing change and what doesn\u2019t. It turns out storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your arsenal. That\u2019s why I\u2019m building a movement of master storytellers to affect change in the world on a global scale to help people tell real stories that have influence and impact. With effective storytelling, you change people\u2019s lives.
Since competition for potential client attention is fierce, a story can make the difference between being memorable or irrelevant. You\u2019ll find me sharing my matcha tea mishap to discuss perfectionism, my quest for Bruce Lee and Hello Kitty art to explore kindness, or the six months of live blade training I underwent to illustrate presence. I spend my days showing the power of using stories to help cement ideas and bring lessons to life and teach my clients to do the same.
If you think business owners can\u2019t tell stories or don\u2019t have stories to share with their clients, staff, donors, followers, or investors, I invite you to reconsider your perspective. There\u2019s no better place than in business to tell your stories so audiences, no matter how big or small, can understand how you think and what you value.
Now it\u2019s your turn... If you\u2019re ready to become a master storyteller and effect change in our world, you\u2019ve come to the right place.
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