What makes your personal story click with people around?

Your personal story has two sides – an uninteresting line up of events or a structured flow of interesting stories that instantly make people want to hear more.
For instance, my story is about a bunch of educational qualifications and a sedentary life in Kuwait. Or the story of a Gulf war refugee who lived up to be a teacher, marketer and a brand consultant. No prizes for guessing which one clicks. Everytime.

So what makes your personal story click?

Here are 9 things you can keep in mind while building a powerful brand story:

Authenticity – People respond to stories that feel genuine and emotionally honest. Being vulnerable and sharing personal struggles, failures, and life lessons builds trust with the audience.

Relatability – Stories that audiences can see themselves reflected in tend to stick. Drawing parallels to universal human experiences like overcoming adversity, chasing dreams, family dynamics etc. helps people connect.

Make it human – Add some embarrassing moments from your life. Let your audience know it wasn’t a cake walk and it wasn’t easy going through the embarrassment. Your audience will relate to things that feel possible to them.

Personality – Infusing stories with one’s distinct voice, quirks, senses of humor etc. makes them more engaging and memorable than generic retellings. Let your authentic personality shine through.

Cohesive Narrative – Having a clear throughline or message that ties the narrative together prevents it from feeling scattered. The best stories have a unifying theme or arc that resonates.

Emotionally Evocative – Stories that tap into powerful emotions like joy, heartbreak, triumph etc. in artful ways stay with audiences more than bland recitations of facts. Make them feel something.

Vivid Imagery – Using rich sensory details to paint a picture in audiences’ minds by describing sights, sounds, smells etc. helps immerse them in the storytelling experience.

Humble Delivery – Sharing even extraordinary experiences through the lens of humility, humanity and hard-earned wisdom resonates more than arrogant boasting.

Actionable Feedback – Narrate your story to people in your circle. Even better, get a personal brand coach who can give you pointed and actionable feedback instead of ambiguous comments.