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112 How A Story Can Traumatize Your Audience (With Life Coach Nicole Lewis-Keeber)

Strategic Storytelling

Release Date: 08/17/2023

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Strategic Storytelling

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177 Storytelling Prompts for Business Stories show art 177 Storytelling Prompts for Business Stories

Strategic Storytelling

  Have you ever faced a blank page, saying to yourself, “I know I need a story…a good story…for business. But I keep drawing a blank.” And most of the story prompts—those questions beginning “Tell me a story about” are not designed for business. They’re designed to get your personal stories. So you get prompts like, “What was your proudest moment…” which rarely helps your business. As I’ve said many times, a business story serves a purpose. It doesn’t just amuse and entertain. It supports your strategy…which is rarely about helping you feel good about yourself....

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Strategic Storytelling

If you’re a small service-oriented business, you want to get people to talk about you!  But how do you do this?  Small companies—especially service-based solopreneurs—can’t generate buzz the same way as big companies. They need to dip into their client’s backstories. When someone says, “You seem to be talking to me!” -- that's how your buzz begins!  In this episode, I talk about what it means for a solopreneur to create buzz. It’s not the same thing as big-company buzz. You’ll get examples of stories that never became the subject of conversation, and how...

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Strategic Storytelling

"You're the expert." How do you feel when you hear those words?   You'd better get used to hearing that sentenence if you're a service-based solopreneur! Because when you sell a service, you’re selling expertise.  You’re offering knowledge and skills beyond what “everybody” has. You hire a licensed electrician because a handyman might do the job...but you want to be sure they won't set the place on fire by mistake. You hire a professional decorator because you want someone with flair who adds something to the project…something your best friend just can't do. So how do...

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You’ve got a nice draft of the copy, all set to go…but will your audience ever read that copy? The answer is: Not unless you’re reeling them in with a strong headline! The truth is, most people don’t get past the headline when they’re reading a sales letter. And yet headlines can be incredibly hard to write…unless, of course, you start with a good story. In this episode you’ll get three tips for using stories to write headlines. It’s one of my favorite topics because we tell business stories to help the copywriting—not to entertain or amuse the audience. You will learn: The...

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174 2 Straightforward Topics To 2X Your Selling Story show art 174 2 Straightforward Topics To 2X Your Selling Story

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Telling the right story, the right way, can lead to more clients and more sales.   You don’t have to come up with a story that keeps you in suspense--a story that could be made into a movie or a slick Superbowl commercial. The selling story for a solopreneur calls for two key ingredients. You don't have to dig into your life story to come up with edge-of-the-seat excitement. In this episode, I'll share two ways you can tweak your story to turn listeners into buyers.   You will discover... ...the two tricks to get increasing sales from your story ...when a memorable story can...

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114 Which story attracts clients for entrepreneurs: natural talent vs. hard work and struggle (Encore) show art 114 Which story attracts clients for entrepreneurs: natural talent vs. hard work and struggle (Encore)

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You've heard it over and over. Success come from hard work, not talent.  You're not a good writer? Not a natural business person? Just work, work and work some more. So hard work is admirable, right? People are most impressed by hard workers? Wrong. Research studies asked this question directly, "What impresses employers and investors most?"   Employers and investors listened to stories of people achieving success by hard work...and stories of people who were so talented, success came easily. And the winner? Listeners reported greater respect for people who found success...

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173 From story to sale: How Solopreneurs Can Connect With Their Audience:   An interview with Angela Wills. show art 173 From story to sale: How Solopreneurs Can Connect With Their Audience: An interview with Angela Wills.

Strategic Storytelling

Angela Wills created her Life  Style Freedom business by making connections. She believed business doesn’t dictate your lifestyle: your lifestyle creates your business.  “I’m really passionate about helping business owners find a business model that supports their lifestyle.”  - Angela Willis Angela is a very down-to-earth business owner who’s built her business by understanding her clients. She understands the juggling act of being a parent and a business owner.   “That is a skill," she says. "To me, it comes naturally now…the ability to connect with telling...

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172 What's wrong with the advice, 172 What's wrong with the advice, "Tell a story to be authentic"

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Solopreneurs often get advised to show their real selves--to come out from behind the website and reveal who they really are. And one way to do this is to tell stories. What's wrong with this advice? First of all, "Just tell a story" means, "Curate a good story portfolio." A story may represent your self...but you have many selves. The first part of this podcast talks about this point. Which self is the Real You? At about 5.0, you'll get 3 tips to share authentic stories: 1 - know what "be yourself" really means 2 - why "I understand where you're coming from" can mean "I'm clueless" (and what...

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171 - How A Financial Behaviorist Uses Stories To Illustrate Our Financial lives: Interview with Jacquette Timmons show art 171 - How A Financial Behaviorist Uses Stories To Illustrate Our Financial lives: Interview with Jacquette Timmons

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When you tell stories, do you ever think, "That's all well and good for life coaches with personal stories. But I'm a technical person who wants to help people discover new ways of thinking about their actions. Talking about finance seems to call for discussions of numbers, trends and charts with percentages in three colors. Jacquette Timmons brings a different perspective. She's a financial behaviorist, someone who helps people deal with issues related to money, income and investments. Money reflects what's going on in people's personal lives. If you want to understand money conflicts, you...

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Stories, by definition, evoke emotions. Strong stories encourage your audience to see themselves in your story. 

But what does your audience experience when you share a story about your own struggles? 

Maybe you want them to get the message, “I’ve been there.”

Maybe you offer a service to clients who seek help for difficult, sensitive problems.

Maybe you’ve struggled in your own business and you want to demonstrate, “I’m human.”  

How will your story land with your audience? Will you inspire them or inadvertently create an uncomfortable response?

To answer this question, we can turn to Nicole Lewis-Keeber, The Business Therapist. 

Nicole is passionate about the impact of small “t” trauma on businesses and she's trained and certified with Brené Brown’s Dare To Lead™ methodology. She's one of the few professionals who combine therapeutic processes with business coaching, helping entrepreneurs gain emotional and well as financial sustainability.

In this podcast episode, Nicole explains how a story can inadvertently trigger strong negative emotions. She provides a framework and guidelines for sharing a difficult story when it’s appropriate to your offer and your audience. 

Tune in to discover…

…key points to consider as you incorporate storytelling in your business  

…essential questions to ask when sharing a difficult story seems appropriate - even essential - to your marketing

…what can trigger an audience’s negative emotions as they listen to your story

…why the wrong story can come across as manipulative (and change your relationship with your audience forever)

…when and how you might consider “trigger warnings” before sharing a hard story

…why you can replace a struggle story with a joyful story

It’s a subject we rarely discuss but it’s important in today’s dynamic marketing environment. Nicole is one of the few professionals who combine an understanding of psychological trauma with the realities of entrepreneurship. 

Listen to Episode 112 here and you’ll come away with the understanding to choose the right story for your business and manage your shares when the topic becomes sensitive.  

RESOURCES:

Business Therapist Nicole Lewis-Keeber

Consultations for storytelling - the Strategic Intensive

FREE guide to understanding your prospective client's backstory - Click here