The Power Of Telling Authentic Stories In a Low Trust World
As a speaker or writer, it is difficult to have people believe in the message we try to create. Whether it is to encourage people to take action, or to inform them about changes that are taking place in a myriad of situations, or convincing people to look at and engage with a new idea, people have difficulty in trusting the message and the messenger.
You may well ask, “What is the reason for this?”
The challenge is, that I don’t know if there is a simple answer to that question, but let’s have a look at a few possible reasons.
I think that we have been marketed into mental oblivion. What I mean is,in the marketers and advertising agencies have given us bigger, brighter, louder ads with the primary focus of getting our attention. Unfortunately, the message is also about getting attention through clever, but confusing branding, and by making promises that can’t be kept or sustained by their clients.
For example (and this is not a criticism, just an observation), two of the most recognized brands in the world are Pepsi and Nike. Pepsi’s ‘Next Generation’ brand, does nothing to tell us about a refreshing, energising drink that we might enjoy, it just positions itself against its competitors in the marketplace. People don’t really care about Pepsi, they care about themselves. Nike’s, ‘Do It’ brand, really doesn’t mean anything to a consumer. It doesn’t talk to us about comfort, support, strength or durability of their footwear and clothing lines. Besides, if you ‘Do It’, what are you doing? What is it, and what does ‘it’ mean?
So, confusing marketing, everyone promising everything and nothing, guarantees that don’t guarantee anything, and an en masse assault on our senses that has become little more than a massive blanket of static and white noise in our lives.
No wonder we live in a ‘low trust’ world, where we question almost everything and fail to receive satisfactory answers to our questions.
What a challenging place for a speaker or writer to be in!
So how do we get our messages across?
I believe that the solution is in the title of this article… “telling authentic stories”.
Telling implies relating information that is more than just a sound bite. It is relating information that engages the audience so that they can feel the story unfold and identify with it in their lives, through their experience.
Authenticity is about, being REAL, sharing true stories, ideas and concepts that your audience can relate to directly and know that it hasn’t been cleverly constructed to get them to do something.
For example, the story of Steven Bradbury, Australian speed skating Olympic gold medallist, is a true story, heartfelt and inspirational. Real stories from our lives or the lives of our friends have the impact, passion and genuineness deconstructed stories rarely deliver.
Relating authentic stories starts to put the trust back into a low trust world, so that people not only feel better about themselves, but also about others in their lives.
You’re genuineness and authenticity, instead of trying to convince people, will actually engaged them and create attraction for your ideas, thoughts and concepts, your message, as it were. By creating this attraction, your interaction with your audience will be very fulfilling, both for them and for you.
Share yourself, your life and your experiences, the lessons you’ve learnt, the failures as well as the successes. Become a real experience in an unreal world for your audience.
Leo Petrik invites you to GET REAL and build your business success by creating awesome FOCUS on your networking, social media, writing and public speaking skills, so that you can reap the rewards that you deserve. Check out our website http://www.theleo.com.au and search our workshops for one in your area. Come and have YOUR say on our blog, register today and leave a comment http://www.theleo.com.au/blog
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