When and Why Do I Need to Tell My Story?

I was recently conducting a webinar for Career Discussions. The 100+ attendees ranged in ages from early 20’s to over 60. They all had one thing in common. They were anticipating a career transition – some were climbing the career ladder, some were looking to change careers and some were wondering what’s next as they wind down their life long career.

It doesn’t matter what age you are or what career stage you are in or what management level you are. It remains important to have an understanding of who you are and where you want to go.

One of the questions I was asked was how to write a brand promise that was a true reflection of who the person is. Here are five tips:

Pretend you’re writing a personal note.

Be friendly and conversational. Get to the point quickly.

Be authentic. Don’t stifle yourself worrying about what others might think.

Capture what it is you really feel passionate about.

Push the boundaries. The more insightful, the better.

When you think about writing your story whether it is for a professional Linked In profile or an autobiography, answer these questions to help you get started.

People – Who is the reader?

Premise – What is the goal/what is the point of writing the story?

Point of Uniqueness – What makes this story different from all the others?

Purpose – What do you want the reader to think? What do you want the reader to do?

Related: Storytelling Is Legendary in Its Strength

Passion – What do you want the reader to feel?

Personality – What tone do you want to convey?

If you are thinking that you don’t have time or energy to reflect on who you are and what’s next, I encourage you to think again. The many people I have interviewed about who they are and helped them craft a personal story tell me how inspiring it is and how many doors open for them.