The Trick To Knowing Which Stories Are A Good Fit For A Given Situation
Do you also believe this?
That a story (you use) MUST be aligned to the topic you’re talking about?
If yes – this will hold you back from using stories more often.
and the thing is – it’s definitely NOT true.
It actually doesn’t matter what the topic of your story is about!
E.g. You can absolutely share a personal story when you’re talking about Tech.
AND
E.g. You can share a non-security related story when talking about Cyber Sec.
What really matters is that the – LESSON relates.
Let me give you a perfect example of this in action.
I was recently helping a 1:1 client prep for a Table Topics session on Incident Management.
They really wanted to drive behaviour change. So were looking for suggestions about how to make it more engaging and impactful.
Instantly I suggested they share a story.
Why?
- Because teaching people the mechanics of how to respond in the face of an incident is one thing.
- But getting people to buy into the importance of being ‘Incident Ready’ is another thing entirely.
This is where a story can work its magic. 🪄
However, they didn’t realise how many options they had to choose from.
We started to brainstorm options for stories that would relate.
However whilst my client started with the obvious route – stories relating to security incidents.
I went a different route.
I started thinking of the most impactful example in history of not being prepared for an incident.
To me, that’s the story of the Titanic. 🚢
It’s one of the most well known examples in my mind.
However, my client was surprised with the suggestion.
She asked:
“Can you use non-security related stories for a security related presentation!?”
To which I responded:
“Yes, yes you can”
Let’s unpack the story of the Titanic and how it relates so beautifully to this situation.
Even though it’s about a ship.
THE TITANIC
Back in April 1912, the Titanic set sail with over 2,200 passengers on board. People were very excited about this maiden voyage and it was touted as an “unsinkable” boat.
However, because of this, they didn’t prepare properly for an incident (they didn’t have enough lifeboats / jackets and they weren’t confident with an incident response process).
On the night of April 14, 1912, tragedy struck. The Titanic hit an iceberg. Within 3 hours the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic had completely disappeared into the ocean. Leaving 1,500 people stranded in the freezing water, in the dark of the night.
The aftermath was devastating, with roughly 1,500 people losing their lives as a result.
However, had they acknowledged and been prepared foran incident; the result would have been completely different. Thousands of people’s lives could have been saved that night.
This highlights how important it is to be prepared for an incident.
Even if you feel it’s not likely to occur.
Yes it’s a story about a ship, used in a cyber security-related session.
However, it’s got a LESSON that relates. That’s what’s important.
It could be a story from something you learned as the coach of your children’s football team. Or something you learnt when you were playing netball.
IN SUMMARY
Next time you’re prepping a session and you want to turn awareness into action, find a STORY to share.
Remember: As long as the lesson relates, you’re all G (good). 😉
Put this into practice and let me know how you go!
Hey, I’m Emily Edgeley, a Public Speaking Coach for the Tech industry.
Since 2017 I’ve transformed the lives of thousands, by helping them to communicate with more power. I’ve run 300+ group coaching sessions, coached more than 250 people privately, and helped more than 100+ others give their first ever Conf talk.
I’m on a mission to help anyone in Tech communicate with more clarity, impact and confidence. To boost their brand, career and influence.
Group Coaching Programs || Private Coaching Options || Corporate Workshops
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