This week we focus on TELLING OUR STORY – as in writing fiction and non-fiction, the power of metaphors, talking to the media, and why we all need a personal 60-second infomercial!

Let’s do this!

? This Week’s Podcast:
TELLING YOUR STORY

I just released this week’s ?podcast, focused on TELLING YOUR STORY with best-selling author, consultant and legal veteran Norman Bacal.  Yes, the same Norman Bacal who recently shared his expertise with us on LISTENING SKILLS!

Norman Bacal

Norm practiced law for over 35 years, during which he mentored two generations of young lawyers and built a major law firm from the ground up to one of the top firms in the country – Heenan Blaikie. Five years ago, the law and business communities were stunned when Heenan Blaikie collapsed. 

As you will hear in the podcast, four long months later, Norm’s wife said to him, “Listen, you have two choices. You’ve become a very angry person. And you need to process your feelings. And either you’re going to write them down, or you’re going to go see a therapist.”

Andrea with Norm’s book, Breakdown

Fast-forward to 2020, and Norm is now a best-selling author with some sage advice for us on how to TELL YOUR STORY, including:

• The writing PROCESS: Get in the habit of writing in the same block of time every day. “If you do anything for 21 days consecutively, it’s a habit and it becomes hard to break.” “Once I started writing, the stories just started coming, pouring out, I couldn’t get to them fast enough. And I had 35 years of stories to tell.”
• “The people who are the greatest SUCCESSES are the best storytellers.”  The best lawyers in the courtroom are proficient storytellers. Stories spark our imagination and keep our attention by evoking emotion.
• The stories we write can be our LEGACY.
• METAPHORS are critical tools for story telling.  Norm references several metaphors, including the firm as “Hotel California” (you can never leave), and lawyers as wolves or dogs…!
• We should all create our own 60 second INFOMERCIAL.  Memorize it – not just for job interviews, but also for the surprise meeting with the CEO! (Norm recommends this book to help you craft your 60-second infomercial.)
• How to talk to the MEDIA – see below.

? Telling Your Story to the MEDIA

Norman Bacal on TVO

DO stick to your key message.
DO NOT go off script!

? Fiction vs. Non-Fiction

   

• They say that non-fiction is “held to a higher standard” than fiction. One of the key challenges in writing non-fiction is that you cannot alter the trajectory to make it more interesting, and all facts must be meticulously fact-checked. (Do you remember when James’ Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” was kicked out of Oprah’s bookclub?)
• One of the key challenges in writing fiction is that the whole story needs to be woven together – integrated. Metaphors are particularly effective tools for this purpose.
• The top selling book genres are:

• The top downloaded podcast genres are:

• Sure, non-fiction may make us “smarter.” But research shows that reading fiction makes us more empathetic. Even after controlling for age, experience with English, and intelligence, lifetime exposure to fiction increases performance on empathy/social-acumen measures.

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(Unsplash | @ratushny)

Have a great week! 

Talk soon,

Dr. Andrea Wojnicki
Chief Talker & Communication Coach

3 Most Recent ?Podcast Episodes: