Emails. Stories. Sales talk. None of it matters if your audience or community doesn’t feel connected.
Sure, you could come up with a viral opportunity or product that takes over the market. But that’s unlikely to happen unless someone first raves about it or you. That person must trust you enough to speak out on your behalf.
It all comes down to connection—that old “know, like, trust” axiom.
But how do get people around you to feel connected?
It starts in the heart.
Tap into their emotions. Share a bit of yourself in a way that invites them into your world. Show the real you, warts and all. Okay, maybe not the warts, but the struggles that make you human.
Most stories feature a character that readers can relate to or empathize with—the scrappy ingenue, the reluctant hero, the hapless detective. We all play our roles. But within those roles, we represent others who share those same traits and struggles—what used to be called the “every man/woman.”
Adopting those roles helps you illustrate a universal problem faced by many. Readers relate because your struggles remind them of their own, which means your solutions may help them too.
But none of this works unless you share the real you. The person your friends know. The person who struggles to sleep because too many ideas spin through your head. The one that frets over being a good mom to child and pet alike. The one who feels awkward in crowds but loves being in front of one. (Or whatever reflects you. These are my issues. 🙂
It comes down to being real.
True. Genuine. Authentic. No puffing up or shrinking down. No pretending or faking. No false modesty or raging ego. Just you. The way you are at your core.
Not only will people relate to you more if you show who you are through stories and your writing, but you can finally relax and focus on doing the work and not working so hard to be someone you are not.
If you want to learn more about being you, check out my Authentic Storytelling: Crafting Narratives that Connect workbook ($9).
