In August 2021 Hayling Island Sailing Club celebrated its centenary year.

Imagine the stories that have taken place there.

Stories of high wind, no wind; races becalmed, races flattened by squalls; boats of all sizes, old and new.

And of course the people.

How many stories take place there every single day?

A member myself for 20 years, imagine how many stories I alone have. The sailing, the beach and the parties. Don’t get me started - I’ll never stop!*

So what about you? Where do you hang out? Are you a member of a club or organisation? Or somewhere you often go?

What are your stories of triumph and disappointment, of trying new things and meeting new people? Of beautiful sunsets or washed out picnics?

Sharing stories about how and where you spend your time tells your audience something about you and gives them something to resonate with.

So what’s your story?

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

She...

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...

I exchanged a look of shared amusement with the woman behind the counter.

Another customer having a conversation on his mobile phone. He wasn’t being loud and there was nothing untoward about his conversation.

It was just that he was on a mobile phone.

One of the first ones that looked more like a leather-covered brick. It was the late 1980’s and mobile phones were a rare phenomenon.

So our amused look carried a ‘Get you!’ message and tbh, my thoughts were something like ‘What a poser!’ (My problem, I know – not his).

Fast forward 30+ years and seeing someone on their mobile is rarely story-worthy topic – but your stories about your first impressions of innovation can be.

Sharing how your attitude has changed, etc. can add humour and context to your message, can illustrated how thoughts and attitudes change, etc.

What’s your first memory of mobile phones?

For more ideas for other stories, check out the Story Prompt Cards...

What was your favourite game or pastime as a child? Or even now?

How does it relate to what you do now?

Does it call on some of the same skills?

Does it create the same excitement?

Does it require team work?

If stories themselves continue to elude you, bringing a personal theme to your presentations is another way of making your message unique to you.

Perhaps some of the skills you need for your game or pastime are similar to ones you use in your work, or perhaps there are parallels in being part of a team, tactics or decision making.

Sharing something about you helps your prospective clients see the person behind the presentation and behind the business and adds a human element to your talk.

Bringing your presentation to life in this way helps your audience understand your key messages and more importantly helps them remember them.

Why not a book a call with me now to see how I can help? 

https://calendly.com/storycoach/30min 

Rachel Maunder is a...

Have you ever been given advice that you’ve never forgotten?

I was 18 but felt my life was in bits. Having fallen short of the mark in my A level grades, I’d lost my place at uni and it felt as if the pathway in front of me had fallen into a big black hole.

What on earth was I going to do next?

‘Why don’t you phone them up? At the moment you have a no. The worst that’s going to happen is that you’ll still have a no, but they might be impressed with your initiative and change that no to a yes.’

At the time I was too lacking in confidence to make that call, so I still had my no, but it’s been advice I’ve acted on many times since – and have passed on to others.

What bit of advice could you share, from your story?

For more ideas of how and where to find your stories, 

download my free Pdf now 

‘7 Simple Story Prompts’ 

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

What memories does the sound of church bells trigger for you?

For me, it’s a mix of freedom and longing.

In my hometown of Sherborne, Abbey bell practice night was a Tuesday.

The freedom goes back to those heady summer evenings, old enough to be out with friends, but not old enough to have too many responsibilities. We’d head up to the Terrace Playing Fields, with a view of the town and the Abbey, listening to music with no particular purpose than to hang out together and belong, with that feeling of remote infinity.

The longing came from those evenings of study, leading up to end of term or public exams, wanting the windows open for the air but finding the bells a distraction, and wanting to be outside, for the exams to be over and to be rediscovering the freedom.

What does their sound evoke for you?

For more ideas of how and where to find your stories,

download my free Pdf now

‘7 Simple Story Prompts’ 

Rachel Maunder is a...

As a child, as much as playing with the other children I also loved sitting listening to the grown-ups talking. I found the back stories of the other children fascinating. Maybe the issues they were having at school, health concerns or any of that other stuff that parents tend to share with each other.

Until someone noticed me and sent me back outside.

I was never mean about what I heard but sometimes it would change my view of someone, in a good way. When I knew what some of their vulnerabilities were it could warm me more to them.

Fast forward too many years, and here I am still listening to people’s back stories, their stories of achievement, vulnerability and passion and helping them shape those stories so that their audience warms to them.

Was there something about you from your childhood that links to what you’re doing now?

Why not a book a call with me now to see how I can help you find those links? 

https://calendly.com/storycoach/30min 

...

If you’re stuck for stories, try going through some old photos to trigger some memories.

Here’s mine:

It’s Boxing Day in Sydney Harbour, which means just 1 thing – the start of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht race.

The harbour is full of boats with ticketed places sold at a premium.

And there am I, literally a few hours off my flight, my brain still fuzzy from flying.

I can hardly believe the amazing spectacle in front of me and for me, no ticket necessary.

My friend had secured me a day-job on the boat he worked on. I collected dirty glasses, sworn not to mention I wasn’t regular staff, giving upbeat replies to people showing concern that I was expected to work so soon after arriving in town.

Funnily enough, I didn’t mind at all!

Why not look out some of your photos and share the stories behind them?

For more ideas of how and where to find your stories,

download my free Pdf now

‘7 Simple Story Prompts’

Rachel Maunder is a...

 If you’re fed up with being told to include more personal stories in your presentations, I know how that feels.

For several years, having entered the world of speaking as part of my business model, I struggled to find my own stories.

Despite the assurance from anyone offering me feedback that ‘you do have a story, everyone does,’ I still couldn’t see why anyone would want to hear my very ordinary and unexceptional story.

What didn’t help was that I had the good fortune to hear a lot of excellent speakers sharing their incredible, awesome and powerful stories, making mine seem even more insignificant and unworthy of being aired in public.

Does any of that resonate with you?

I tried to convince myself that I could get around the story issue by making sure I gave good content and delivered it competently. What more could I do, because you can’t make stories up, can you?

I still don’t really know what happened to shake the penny down, but...