Sep 20, 2022
I'm so happy to introduce you to
my guest, Lisa Bloom. Over the last 15 years, Lisa has created her
company out of a simple idea. The idea that stories are powerful.
They are possibly the most powerful form of influence and
persuasion ever. Today, we're talking about mastering the art of
storytelling in your business, in your life, how that can show up
in ways that it can help you to make a bigger impact to close more
sales, to develop trust and so much more. I know you're going to
enjoy this conversation. And I can't wait to hear your takeaways.
Enjoy.
Lisa shares with us her
insights:
- Suddenly they began to open up; and they began
to talk; and they began to actually interact and meet my eye. Meet
each other's eye. Laugh. And suddenly we could open up a
conversation because the story bridged the gap plus created trust
in me. I was a human being. I was a real person. I had the same
challenges and the same experiences that they had when suddenly
they trusted me. They were open, and you know, they opened up, and
I can tell you it was one of the training experiences that they
told me later that they never forgot. And it wasn't because of what
I taught them. It was because of the stories and I saw this happen
again and again and again. And so, as we run our own businesses
whenever you want to create engagement, whenever you want to build
trust, you know, one of the most effective ways to do that is
through story. And while you're doing that you're creating
credibility and you're giving them your history. And that you're
giving them your all the highlights of your career. Like you don't
have to say, you don't have to list off your resume. You just tell
a story, and they understand...
- And I have come to see. Yes, there are a very
small percentage of people who are, you know, born storytellers.
But, like the people who are great at telling jokes, they don't
have to try. They just got this humor, you know, there are people
like that. But it's not the majority by far. But what I have seen
is that everybody's telling stories all the time. It's what happens
around the dinner table. It's what happens in meetings. It's what
happens in any social environment. We're naturally storytelling
animals. That's what we do and so much so that there's now a lot of
neuroscience to talk about the impact of story and how it affects
us. And you know, we are as a species, we're trying to make meaning
all the time. And one of the ways we do that is through
story.
- I had a challenge many years ago when I was
starting out. I had a marketing coach who said to me - 'Lisa, if
you want to build an audience, you need to tell a story every week
in a block and send it out to your audience'. And my first reaction
was my life isn't that interesting like where am I going to find
this story every single week. That's insane. And she just said - 'I
trust you. I think it'll be fine. Go for it'. And I did. And for
ten years religiously, on a Tuesday, I would send out a story to my
list. And I built a list of thousands and thousands of people. The
main way I built my list was through telling stories once a week
for ten years. I found the stories and it wasn't that my life
suddenly got more interesting. It was just that I was able to take
stock of these moments where something happened that made me feel
something. And there's a story in there and we all have these
moments. So it's about learning to become aware of them; learning
to share them. And of course, there's art in the art of
storytelling. Of course. We become better, but we become better as
we practice. You learn the skills, and then you apply it in your
business. You apply it to every part of your business because
wherever there's a story, it's going to be more engaging, and it's
going to be more memorable.
- So I always believed in that. And then it was a
matter of figuring out- 'Okay, well, how do I turn it into a
business? And how do I make it pay me what I need it to pay me. And
how do I take the next step when things go wrong and I'm all alone.
Then nobody gets what I'm doing because you know that's the case
for most entrepreneurs. You're very much in love with that. And how
do I, kind of step by step, find the kindred spirits that I can
share this with them, that I could talk to? And how do I find the
clients that are willing to pay me? And how do I, you know, I had
to figure all that stuff out. But I kept going because I think I
just believed in it. I always believed in possibility. Maybe, I'm a
kind of an optimist and a hopeful person in my nature. But that's
not to say it hasn't been difficult. There were times where I was
literally on the floor - 'I think I just can't do this anymore.
This is so hard, so hard it didn't work'. Whatever it was I was
trying to do. And then somebody would offer a hand. Somebody would
suggest - 'Well, why don't we look at what happened and see if we
can fix it, or why don't I share something with my audience'. Or,
there was always somebody who helped lift me up, who guided me, who
I was willing to kind of surrender and say - 'Okay, I'll just try
this thing because I don't know what else to
do'...
- Well, I guess first and foremost, I've become a
role model to my sons. You know I always thought I would have
daughters. I was always this, you know, big feminists thinking I
would bring up this great strong women. And I ended up with four
sons. And so becoming a business owner or a successful business
owner, and I think I'm a fantastic role model for them. So they see
women who can do that, who can really find something they're
passionate about, and that they love and want to be successful. So
I think that's probably the first thing that comes to my mind when
you say who I've become. But I also, I've become very, quite
driven. I mean, maybe I was always driven. But I think, driven in
terms of I know there are things I can do that I want to do. And
the more the business grows, the more I'm able to do
it...
Lisa is an inspiring and
passionate keynote speaker on the business and art of storytelling.
She offers practical guidance, clear strategies and inspiring
revelations based on a wealth of experience and an exceptional
talent for finding the story in every moment.
Lisa’s speaking style is warm,
approachable, and entertaining—bringing enormous enthusiasm,
insight, and energy to her presentations.
As a speaker, coach and trainer,
Lisa has delivered powerful messages to people all over the world
including Entrepreneurs, Corporate organizations, Non-profits,
Professional groups.
Learn more about
Lisa:
Free gift - Audio
book:
https://story-coach.com/story-advantage-toolkit
Websites:
https://www.story-coach.com
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/storycoachinc
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Storycoachinc
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/storycoach