[BLOG] Douglas Kruger Column: Expert Positioning – Develop a Story of Struggle
When you are seen as an iconic industry expert, the business starts coming to you.
One important aspect of your efforts to position yourself as iconic is the way in which you tell your public story.
Many of today’s ‘how-to’ books, and almost all inspirational speeches, are based on an individual’s struggle story. In a nutshell, this is the tale of how they overcame some form of adversity to become what they are today. Telling people about your success isn’t nearly as impactful as telling them about your prior adversity and then your subsequent success. The success is interesting. But the pain is fascinating. And it’s often because people feel that success is bragging, but they can generally relate to the pain.
The question to consider as you go about positioning yourself as an industry expert, is: What pain did you overcome? What have you been a victor over? Don’t just tell us about your victories. Tell us about your darkest hour. Tell us about the most painful moments.
Observe the difference between these two introductions:
A: “This is John. He’s the author of “Think More Cleverly” and he will be talking to us about how to use the power of strategic thinking to improve our lives...”
Versus this one:
B: “This is John. He came from an impoverished background, and had to borrow textbooks during his school years. But John discovered the power of strategic thinking early on and used it to rise from obscurity and become the head of a multi-national corporation. He is now the author of “Think More Cleverly” and today he will be talking to us about how to use the power of strategic thinking to improve your life, just like he did in his own...”
If possible, develop one of your own, because a struggle story adds legitimacy to your message. And it shouldn’t just be a part of your introduction when you speak publicly. You can use it constantly in your messages as well.
You may have frowned at the term ‘develop one of your own.’ No, that doesn’t mean that you should bend the truth and fabricate a story. But it does mean that you should take your own story and hone the way in which you tell it, write it and present it. In other words, choose the interesting and relevant parts and position it for audience consumption.
Also, your struggle story doesn’t actually have to be as dramatic as the ‘rags to riches’ example above. It could be smaller than that, quirkier, even humorous. Here’s an example of a very simple struggle story:
“David is here this morning to coach us in the use of humour in corporate presentations. David admits that humour didn’t come naturally to him at first. He had to learn the principles the hard way. In fact, he fondly recalls his first attempt at stand-up comedy in a nightclub, which he later described to three separate therapists as the longest two hours he’d ever experienced in a ten minute period... But David didn’t care. He wiped off the tomato residue and persisted! He was determined to learn the principles of humour, and today, he is acknowledged as an expert in the field. Moreover, these days, he is hardly ever pelted with fruit.”
You don’t need to have to have survived cancer, been eaten by a shark or have climbed Mount Everest to have a good story. You just need to show that you ‘overcame’ a difficult situation or a trying circumstance and so can help others to do the same. That is the nature of a struggle story.
If you are completely stumped for your own struggle story, bend this idea slightly and talk about how you have already taught others to overcome their problems with your expertise. By doing so, you essentially adopt the struggle-story of others.
I’ve found that when training others in presentation skills, it is exponentially more effective to start by speaking about my own public speaking disasters. Not only are they interesting (and in many cases, hilarious), but they help the audience to relate. When I then go on to provide solutions to the problems I’ve described, I have their emotional buy-in. As teaching tools go, the pain that precedes the victory is an especially powerful one.
Don’t underestimate the power of your own pain when it comes to telling your public story. A true expert is someone who has overcome, and is therefore qualified to show the way to others. Your greatest pain can become your strongest light.
Douglas Kruger is a professional speaker and author of three books, including ‘50 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert.’ See him in action at www.douglaskruger.co.za, connect with him on Linked In or Twitter @douglaskruger. Email kruger@compute.co.za
