Ep 140 Updating Your Story or Presentation

There's power in the stories we tell. They define the narrative we share about ourselves, our businesses, and the world around us. they create deep connections with our audience, build trust, and inspire others to do things they otherwise thought were impossible.

Stories play a big role in our communication strategy. But with our businesses (and communication strategies) constantly evolving, how do we make sure our stories are evolving with us? What does it look like to change or update our stories? How do we know when it's time to do that? Where and how do we do that when it comes to our speaking presentations? Our stories can hold us back... if we don't allow them to evolve with us.

In this episode of The Speak to Scale Podcast we're talking about how to know when it's time to update your story or presentation and exactly how to do it.

Spoiler alert: you don't have to scrap your entire presentation in order to bring it up to speed. You can strategically update parts of your presentation in a way that provides a fresh approach to increase connection and conversions.

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Updating Your Speaking Presentation

Both personal and business stories need to grow and evolve with us. If we keep telling old stories that are no longer relevant to the season we're in, there's going to be a disconnect in our presentation, in our messaging, and in our conversions.

You have put in the work to create an incredible presentation or story, but you have maybe outgrown it, that you know exactly how to go back to that story and bring it up to speed. When it comes to updating your presentation, there's a little secret I want to let you in on... It's not usually your teaching points that need a refresh. It's your stories.

This is especially helpful if you're the type of person who has been giving the same talk for a while. Trust me, I get it. I delivered the same presentation for nearly a decade. I know the initial pushback can make you wonder, "Are people are going to get sick of this?" or maybe you're worried that you're starting to get tired of telling those stories yourself.

The more you deliver that presentation, the better you get, the more confident you are as a presenter, and the more people you're able to impact. But even with a well-polished presentation in your back pocket, there are going to be times where you need to update it.

What Part of Your Talk Should You Update?

Your teaching points are probably not the thing that needs to be changed. That's your proprietary information that you know is driving people to have a transformation to get that quick win to see a result. If we're being honest, that's likely the part of your presentation the audience doesn't remember.

We get so fixated on our teaching points. Rightfully so - our teaching points ARE important. We want to make sure we're including the right information in our talk that leaves our audience better than we found them. From your audience's perspective, they remember the connection they made with you, the stories you told, and the pictures you painted.

So if your presentation needs an update, swap your stories before you start looking into updating your teaching points. Even if an audience member has heard your presentation three times, updated stories can make the entire presentation feel new.

Your Business Origin Story

One of our Speaking Strategy Academy members, and a personal long-time friend of mine, Trena Little is a great example of leveraging a story update to give your presentation an all-around refresh.

Trena is a YouTube strategist helping business owners leverage the power of YouTube to grow their businesses. When Trena first started sharing her story on podcasts, summits, stages, and more she told the story of how she got started with YouTube and the impact it made on her life and business.

It was a story of being home with a baby and another on the way. She shared how YouTube was the secret weapon that carried her through the difficult post-partum season and allowed her to grow her business even when she had limited time to work.

As the years have passed and her little ones are getting bigger, it was time for a story refresh. More importantly, she had a better story to tell. In 2020, the world shut down and Trena (like many of us) unexpectedly had two children at home. She had to find her groove in this 'new normal' and continue serving her clients, building her business, and now - add on caring for her children full-time.

Again, YouTube came to the rescue, and Trena not only managed to keep things afloat but her business grew significantly.

Trena's message didn't change - but the example she used to create a visual got a major upgrade.

When you look at your talk, is there a better, more relevant example that you can swap out?

Is there a more recent client example?

Is there someone more relevant that your audience will connect with?

This story disconnect often happens when a business owner has experienced a lot of growth. There tends to be a sticky spot in their journey where their story (and maybe a few mindset blocks) are holding them back from fully stepping into their new reality of success.

If we're still telling our story from a place of struggle... can our audience (and we ourselves) truly see where we are, and more importantly, where we're going. Those old stories can hold us back. They can distract us from celebrating how far we've come or consistently keep working on the things that will take us to our next stop.

If you've been sharing your business origin story for a while... it might be time for a story update, friend.

What story should you be telling?

If you're not sure what story you should be including in your presentation, don't start with the story. Start with the message... then select a story that best supports that message.

Let's go back to Trena for example. If the message she wanted to share was that YouTube can work FOR you, even when you can't - she needed a story that could showcase that for her audience.

Did her original do that? It did. However, after swapping her story she now has an even better example to share that her audience can relate with right now!

Maybe you have a story like that too?

If you need to get clear on what story you should be including in your presentation, check out this blog post and worksheet on 'How to Share a Story Your Audience Actually Cares About.'

Before I let you go work on checking to see if your story needs an update... can we talk about our own personal stories for a second? This is where we can get really tripped up.

Sharing Your Personal Story

You've probably got a story that you wrote about yourself during a dark season. You've made it out the other side... but you're still telling in from that place of pain. I know I did.

If you're still sharing that story from a place of standing IN the trench - rather than on the other side of it, I've got some extra homework for you, friend. I want you to go back to THAT story. I want you to rewrite it.

Step into the role of narrator and TELL your audience your story. Write what happened but write your story from a place of survival. Now that you've made it out to the other side, your perspective is different.

What lessons did you learn?

What would you say to someone else going through something similar?

What would you have wanted to hear when you were in the thick of it all?

We're so quick to move on to 'the next thing' that we forget to celebrate how far we've come. If you've got a personal story that weighs you down every time you share it because you feel like you're stepping back INTO that season of struggle - I'm going to challenge you to sit down and rewrite it.

There is power in being the narrator of your life rather than simply a character in someone else's story.

As you're working on it - share about this process on stories and tag me in your Instagram stories (@JessicaRasdall) so that I can cheer you on. Get out there and share your message friend - someone is waiting to hear it.

If you're not already a member of the academy, we'd love to invite you to apply to join The Speaking Strategy Academy. You'll get instant access to our A-Z speaking training system with video lessons, transcripts, scripts, templates, and more.... access to our live group coaching calls, personalized 1:1 feedback on your work from me, and an opportunity to present your work live in front of our community for hot seat coaching and feedback. What are you waiting for, friend? Apply today!

Join The Speaking Strategy Academy

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