Whenever I work with someone, I cannot help but notice their storytelling. Someone recently contacted me to ask me about being involved in his project. He will be a guest on my radio show, so I asked him for his bio. He rather sheepishly told me where to find it and said he isn’t a very good writer.

Creating Your Bio is Tricky Business

I have to tell you that writing your bio, the story of you, is tricky business for anyone. First of all, I don’t know a single person who isn’t hyper-critical of themself. Well, perhaps I do know one person, but he is the living embodiment of Narcissus. But for the average human, you are going to be critical of yourself no matter what you write.

Secondly, a bio feels really important. Never forget you can change your bio anytime, but that said, it’s still kind of a big deal to have your bio out there.

But the biggest reason creating your bio is so tough is that you’re wondering things like:

• What should I say about my work experience?
• Should I talk about my personal life?
• How long should my bio be?
• How much of my history and credentials do I put in it?
• Should I write it in first or third person?

Which all boiled down to one big question:

“What should I put in my bio?”

I have your answer, and you’ll be glad to know I’ve created a Storytelling Template(TM) for you to write your bio.

Your bio is your Core Story. The Story of YOU in life and business.

Consider  how you show up when people read your bio Some bios read like a laundry list…

I did this…I did that…I did the other thing…and I did that too…

Some read like a self-aggrandizing list of accomplishments:

I flew to the moon while giving birth and reciting the Gettysburg address backwards in Latin – without breaking a sweat.

Some bios read like fences with I’s as fenceposts…

I I I I I I I I I I I I I…

Your bio needs to share some of your story, not simply your laundry list of credits and accomplishments. Of course you should be proud of your accomplishments, but remember that people will be impressed very little by your accolades and very much by the way you connect as a real person.

* * * * *

This is the Storytelling Template(TM) you can use to create your online bio.

1. Tell something about how you started on your current path.
2. Tie that event to your present life and business. Mention a book you have written or a key accomplishment.
3. Share your mission or something meaningful about the people you serve.
4. Share the benefit someone gets from working with you/hiring you.

When you read my story, you’ll notice these elements, which follow the Storytelling Template(TM) above:

1. I share how I unknowingly took the first steps on my path to becoming  The Story Lady as a toddler when I invented skits and plays with my toys.
2. Then all through life, people come up and tell me about their life without me asking. They even go out of their way, such as crossing the street or seeking me out to share their story.
3. Next, I talk about the power and influence that telling your story and sharing your expertise in a book give you.
4. Finally, I share that I teach entrepreneurs, visionaries and world-changers to connect with anyone through the power of storytelling.

You will need several versions of your bio, but this Storytelling Template is for you to use on your website. You can certainly feel free to add audio, images and video, as I did.

Resource

Storytelling will truly empower you in life and business. Register for the free 5–part multimedia storytelling class using the form in the upper right of this blog.

The Story Power DVD is a 90 minute live seminar that shows you how to understand the various steps and bumps along your own path and how to share the story of you.

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