SandraD's Blog

The greatest story ever told is the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of the baby Jesus. It has been written in nearly every language spoken by man. It has been painted, acted and sculpted. It has been analyzed and romanticized. But it is the most recognized story on Earth. It is the reason for the Season!

That’s proof that the art of storytelling is powerful!  It can be found every culture and in every land as a means of education, entertainment, and moral enlightenment. It is the most effective way of organizing information.  I bet your family will have plenty of old stories  told this holiday season!

Your information can benefit from a story.  Maybe it’s the tale of your life or the transformation of your client, or a funny anecdote.  It could be all of the above!

It’s best to start with your story.  You may very well have need of different versions, depending on the audience before you, and the amount of time allotted to share your information.  You may have a 30-minute version, but you will more likely be in need of a 2-minute version and it may be a bit of a challenge to edit your history so drastically and still maintain the integrity, entertainment value, and important emotive power. Some things to keep in mind:

Every effective story contains these 5 elements:

• Setting: Usually made clear early on
• Character: what is the age, position, their desires or dreams?
• Experience, or plot: actions that have consequences and reactions to these consequences by the characters
• Climax: The height of tension in the narrative
• Resolution:  How was the problem overcome?

By having your story clarified, you will be able to establish your credibility for speaking on your topic and establish a level of empathy with your listeners.

With the actual sharing of your story, there must always be a feeling of spontaneity, even if you have told it a thousand times!  Remain open to reaction from your listeners or audience. This will help them to feel a part of the tale.

Ultimately, you want your listeners to be caught up emotionally and transported to a different place then where they were before they met you.  Motivational speaker Les Brown says, you want to “distract” your audience; meaning pull them away from the current “story” in their heads (whether it’s that they aren’t capable of achieving their goals or the review of their grocery list!)

What makes a good storyteller great (and why not aspire to be great!?) is they tell stories of the type or in the style that suits their personality the best, with an open, honest and effortless ease.

So now,     What’s your story? 

 Business goes on, right? Well, we are still building our support system for you!  

Our new workshop and class dates for January are set. CLICK HERE for more information. If you are unable to make it to our workshop in December then gift yourself a powerful start to the New Year!  

ONE BIG ADVANTAGE: The price of my private sessions is shared by a group… Easy on your finances, and still intensive training and great improvement in skills and confidence!
Classes are VERY limited in size, so don’t wait to secure your spot, please!

Sure, private sessions are always available.    I suggest private sessions if you have a definite media opportunity that you are preparing for right now… there is no better way to make super quick progress in the polishing of your skills and Charisma!

The Holocaust Museum  in DC may not be the first place that someone would plan to visit over a Thanksgiving Weekend, but there I was with my husband reliving this  period of systematic persecution of European Jewry; I cannot tell you how grateful we felt for all of our blessings after that experience! 

The numbers were the first things to drive it home to me. For example, this ghetto, 10,000 died, this city, 50,000 were gassed, (at the next display) 75,000+ then 250,000.  Ultimately 6 million people lost their lives.  After experiencing the exhibits at the museum the dead were longer just faded pictures in a history book but faces of fathers, mothers, sisters and children.

This Christmas season may be difficult for many that are looking at financial challenges; The pull of the holiday sales and the desire to fulfill your loved ones’ gift lists can intensify that infamous stress that we can associate with this time of year. I invite you to join me in looking at this season with a different perspective. Let’s carry the gratefulness for our blessings through the entire season and into next year.

After all, when we look back at our favorite Christmas memories, how many gifts come to mind? I bet, not too many. 

I know for me, it was time spent at the Christmas train set that my Dad built every year, and visiting cousins and seeing Grandma. It was Mom’s Christmas cookies and visits from the neighbors.

This holiday season I’m looking for the memories that will be made with family and friends as the true “gifts”.  The price is right and they last forever, no extra warrantee needed.

If you are an author… you shine through your written word.  You are eloquent and witty and confident.  Because you are all of this your book is set to fly off the shelves, you just have this little promotional tour and some interviews….(Screech!)  What happened to the confidence that grounds the writer behind the keyboard?  It’s not unusual for a talented author to feel a bit askew when it comes to the promotional drive for their book.  In fact, it’s quite common.  With smaller publishing houses offering little to no marketing support, it is often up to the author to push the sales of the book with a face-to-face tour, complete with book signings and interviews. 

 It can be make or break time!  Don’t hesitate.

This is a campaign, my talented writer friends, and just like any politician starting on a campaign tour, clear preparation is necessary.  The book is ready.  Maybe the signing dates are set, but if you are not ready to handle the public and the interviews your momentum will come to halt.  Don’t chance it.

Invest some time in getting your key points down.

Like:

• Describe your book? (30 seconds or less!)
• Why did you write? (what drives you?)
• Why your book now? (what problem do you  address and how will you solve it?)
• Your call to action (buy the book, obviously!  But what else?)

You already have these answers, but work them until you can say them in your sleep.  They should become as much a part of you as your topic, or characters themselves. With these engrained in your head you should feel grounded and better prepared to take on the world!

Some other key things to consider;

• Is there any controversy surrounding your topic?  Be prepared for that!
• When being interviewed, for gosh sakes, please mention your title ONCE.  Let the interviewer promote you and your book.  Repeated mentioning the name of your book looks entirely too desperate.  Just don’t.
• Don’t forget your call to action… ever!
• What will you wear?  Seriously.  It is important!  This is your brand here. 

I think it is a great investment of your time to work on this preparation.  It has guaranteed payback if it is done well.

Specifically focused training can be a great way to accomplish a clear view of all of the above points before you head off to promote.  Contact us at Charisma on Camera, let us know what your plan is, and we can advise you of the best training for you! It is a free consultation.  www.charismaoncamera.com  info@charismaoncamera.com