The Art of Storytelling for your Personal Brand

One of his favourites was about my then three-year-old older sister, hunting for her favourite fruit, durians, at a local Malaysian market. Papa thought “I’ll pretend they aren’t available today”. It was a family favourite he also adored. But, this national treasure is highly pungent and generally hard work. Unfortunately for him, its smell also mocks any covert mission to deny its presence.

Using her detective skills, my sister said, “…but, I can smell them…”. Taking his hand, she followed her nose, guiding him to them. And that night they enjoyed a delicious feast together.

It was his special story for anyone who’d listen. It showed our origin, a father’s memories and his lifelong love of markets.

So, how can you use storytelling for your personal brand? Here are my top tips:

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) uses ‘representational systems’. These are the sensory modalities for how people process information.

NLP’s ‘VAKOG’ model includes:

Adding a sensory experience to your storytelling helps connect with different system preferences.

Take the story of my father and sister I just shared. For the Auditory effect, it contains voices. This includes self-talk known in NLP as ‘Auditory Digital’. For Visuals, it sets the scene of the market and their journey together. For Kinesthetics, it includes the holding of their hands. It bears pungent fruit for the Olfactory dimension. And finishes with a feast for a Gustatory factor.

Worth noting, it works better when modalities are universally relevant. This makes them relatable. Most of us know the smell and taste of apples, for example. So, know your audience’s lifestyle. In his case, my dad knew his audience could relate to all elements and even the notorious aroma as he told it.

Remember, your ‘about me’ is not about you. It’s to serve your audience’s problems and aspirations.

Storytelling expert, Annette Simmons, provides inspiration in Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins. Her book provides a bank of ideas for your storytelling efforts:

For authenticity-in-action, Simmons also recommends four story types:

Branding master, Donald Miller’s Storybrand framework in Building a Story Brand outlines:

It places your audience — be it your customers, team or stakeholders — as the hero on a mission. And as personal branding does best, positions you (the Guide) in service to your people.

So, experiment with storytelling as part of your personal brand. Diverging from “business is business” is not as far-fetched as it may initially feel. Simmons says it best,

I’d venture so far as to guess that your leadership involves people.

So, are you practising storytelling in your business and leadership messages?

PS. Next in this storytelling series — learn the four characters you’ll never unhear.

Personal brand coach for emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. I help empower your brand story with clarity and confidence to create a legacy you’re proud of.

For more personal branding tips:

The Science of Storytelling

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