Opposites Attract

It’s often said that opposites attract – and the same can be said when you’re looking for your stories.

Your stories need to illustrate a point that you’re making, so instead of looking for examples of when you were a shining example of that point, find a time where you were the opposite.

If you’re talking about resilience, look for a time in your past when you gave up on something. If you’re talking about mindfulness, look for a time when you were anything but. If you’re talking about creating clever designs, look for a time when you came up with a less than clever design.

Not only will these stories show your vulnerability, they will also give you the opportunity to go on to share how you moved from those places of ‘how not to’ to your current place of ’how to. After all, that’s what your clients want to learn.

Rachel Maunder is a communication skills and speaker coach and professional speaker.

She has been in the world of competent communication, in different guises, for more than 30 years so has a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to pass on to her clients, both through her signature programmes and her own presentations.

You can find out more about her coaching programmes here and about her speaking topics here.