Episode 25: How to make your stories work (even if writing isn’t your thing)

00:54 You're listening to The Business of Stories with Susan Paton, showing you how to share stories that do the selling in your business so you don't have too. There are so many things that can hold people back from sharing their stories It might be mindset stuff – that fear of being judged or it might be more practical stuff Like not being sure what stories to share, or how much to share. Or how to share them in a way that will connect with the right people? Or maybe like today's guest there is also another challenge for you! Sue Hall was scarred from years of having teachers scribble all over her work with red pen because of spelling punctuation and grammar mistakes

01:47 Which she realises now was because of her undiagnosed dyslexia. She found the act of sitting down and writing anything excruciating, but using simple storytelling frameworks to get her ideas out of her head and onto paper helped her enormously Sue says that finding the core message and golden thread that sits at the heart of what she does Here's my chat with Sue.

02:48 So, Sue. Welcome to The Business of Stories podcast! I'm so thrilled to have you as a guest. Thank you Susan thank you so much for having me i am delighted to be here. So I just had a look to see when you first came into my world and believe it or not it was June 23 You actually joined Storytelling Mastery during my first ever five-day challenge, which is scary to think that it's been that long. You also jumped in and did my one week intensive in February 24th. That was a very intensive week! And then last year we did some one-to-one coaching when you were transitioning from working full time to getting your new business up and running

03:35 And in fact, one of the things we worked through was whether or not you should make that leap because you were going back and forth a bit about whether it was the right thing to do. So, you've been in storytelling mastery long term – possibly the longest actually but then you've had these short bursts of 1-to-1 intensive support as and when you needed it which I think is great way to do it So I'd love to talk to you today about what storytelling has done for you and your business because, I can talk all day about how powerful storytelling is but it's great to hear real life stories of how it's helped other people. But let's start with what you do? Can you tell the listeners what your business is and who its for? Yeah absolutely! I am a specialist dyslexia teacher and assessor

04:26 I'd really love to share with you this program that i've created especially for parents who've got a child with dyslexia. It's called Brilliantly Dyslexic and it's all about helping the parents understand their child's dyslexic diagnosis, looking at ways that they can best be supported in school and out of school but also looking opportunities for their child to thrive because at the bottom of it all If a parent can understand what dyslexia holds for the child in terms of opportunities, then it can be really great opportunity to move forward and to help their child thrive rather than just feel that they're sinking. They're not performing as they need to be and they are just not achieving

05:03 Amazing. And I know that there is a backstory there in terms of dyslexia being a big part of your own personal story and the driver behind your business now, so can you tell us a bit more about that? Like why this is so important to you, why are you passionate about it? It's really important to me for a number of reasons first and foremost I've been teaching for over 25 years but a lot of that time Even from very, very early on in my career I was really interested in children who were struggling to read and write and children who'd have great ideas but they couldn't get them onto the paper. And I didn't understand because dyslexia wasn't really a thing at the time so it's really interesting how to help those children thrive as part of the process.

05:51 They have a specialist dyslexia centre. I then took that back into school and was taken on as the head of learning support to create a brand new SEN department, and within that structure I was teaching a lot of children with dyslexia who were very bright who were struggling to access the curriculum And helping the teachers understand what was going on, helping the parents understand. And then I realised my own two children were dyslexic They've got very very different profiles they're presenting in very different ways and so i was then navigating as a parent myself The school system with my children to make sure they could thrive and also seeing it happen with various other families and at that point I went oh

06:30 Oh, there's something going on here. You can teach the teachers and share with the teachers and train the teachers on how to support children in class And that was great it was making such an incredible difference for those children The parents weren't still getting it so then I thought there is a gap here It's a great opportunity to go explore and see if I can provide more support for parents And that little seed started to grow in my head. When I'd gone through school dyslexia wasn't a thing but i'm pretty certain if you tested me today, I would be dyslexic! I've definitely got a lot of the difficulties that we have along with dyslexia but also a lot of the potential strengths I've got too so for instance great at talking verbally quite happy to have a conversation but if you ask me to write things down and capture it very quickly it's like oh

07:11 I can't do that, i have to think. I have to process. I have to get my ideas on paper. I have to play. I have to revisit it and it can take me a very very long time to write quite a small piece of writing and I think that's obviously down to dyslexic tendencies and I was putting all these bits together how I was working as a teacher how is working with different people with these sort of needs and I suddenly went there's a really great need out there for some sort of program to bring it all together And so I created this program called Brilliantly Dyslexic which really looks at the nuts and bolts of what dyslexia is, helping the parents decode it and really understand the diagnosis. Really helping parents understand what's going on with their child, what the challenges are, what support can be put into place if they work with schools and what they can do to help them thrive

07:55 Brilliant. So good and I love the name of your program, I remember when you first told it to me and you said brilliantly dyslexic immediately you're reframing it as something that looking for the brilliance inside it right rather than seeing it as a problem or something that needs fixing So I love that clear connection between your personal story, what's going on for you personally and your family. Your business and how it led you down this path in creating this program? And then of course your customer story those parents how you understand what they're going through with what they're feeling

08:30 So just going back a little bit to you said that it's likely that you are dyslexic and one of the things that you struggle with is putting that pen to paper. I know you said to me there can be a lot resistance there And I'm really interested in that because I talk a lot about the things that hold people back from sharing personal stories. And, you know, mainly that is mindset stuff or just not having the clarity about what stories they should share and what will connect with their ideal clients and all of those things but it can also be something very practical like it was for you right? What was holding you back was that you found the actual process of writing stories challenging

09:15 So, can you talk a little bit more about that resistance and how it was holding you back? And what was going on for you where you were at when you joined Storytelling Mastery in June 23. Yeah absolutely! In the past, because I've been building my business as a side hustle. So I was doing it alongside my teaching role. I was dipping in and out of things and so I'd worked with a lady we'd worked on writing pitching to magazines to get articles in and could see the value what I did but actually write an article was excruciating It was so tough getting my ideas on paper And there is resistance for me it's more like the fear of red pen

09:57 You remember when you were at school and used to have like my work was forever littered with the red pen and the sp all through it, it was spelling, spelling, punctuation. And so the writing of the process is multifaceted isn't it because you have to think about your content, you have to think about your structure, you have to think about your spelling, your punctuation, your grammar and you have to make sure you're sharing your message. So for me there's so many things going on in that process It's very easy to get overwhelmed by any one of them but when they all come ploughing in together and I call the spag police, alright? You know spelling punctuation and grammar come in and then nobody wants to listen to this and nobody is interested and it's gonna be rubbish. And you have all this and then somebody says oh write an article for your writer post! And it's just easy to think...I'll do tomorrow. And I think one of the brilliant things about me into storytelling mastery was how

10:50 So, Sue, what have you got us to really put ourselves not in our own shoes but put us in our ideal client's shoes? And you had me imagining this mom who was sitting at the kitchen table. The children had gone to school she wasn't just so upset crying into her coffee Picture her and where she is now, and then just write a letter in response to how she's feeling. And it was very easy for me to think oh this is how she is this is why she's right these are the things I'm going to suggest this is what I'm going to say too...and I could write that! It was just not a problem at all as writing as I would speak and none of the fears of spelling punctuation criticism or judgment none of that came into it at all. Then when I looked back at it went Oh wow, oh yeah okay this stuff works because I could clearly see

11:36 I'd seen into this lady's head of where she was and how she was feeling, i could see what I'd written in response. I then could see how she'd responded to me in this process of this exercise that we did and then I really could see how much of a difference I could make so just being brave and thinking I'll just write for that one lady sitting at her table this morning, I'll put all the rest out my head... Then when I wrote from that position of thinking about her and how to help her it all flowed! For Unbelievable, because there was something in there that went do it like this and do it for this person don't do for the teacher 20 30 40 years ago who was criticising and judging and ripping to pieces anything you ever wrote on a piece of paper. That changed so much for me that really changed a lot absolutely and it takes that focus away from it being about us right because it's never about us even when we're sharing our story we're always sharing it for the person that needs

12:32 You know, is out there and looking for help and needs our help that we know that we can really make a difference to. Yeah I think you've hit the nail on the head it's about who can i make a difference too? It's not about me! It's who do I want help keep that as like that light that shining like... Who do I want to light the path up for how am I going to do that? Can I do that so my desk beat myself up because I can't write anything yeah that's really not helping anybody How can we get through Again, reframe it. How can we see it from a different perspective to do a different job and to get that work done? That's so important at the end of the day. Yeah absolutely love that! What do you think are the other things what have been for you the biggest learnings, the biggest takeaways what are the things that have helped you move forwards and where are you now in terms

13:25 Feeling confident about sharing stories. I really, really enjoy stories even as a little girl I used to love stories and okay with reading never been a problem for me reading but i really like listening to story like getting into the story I like thinking what's gonna happen next? What's gonna who is going do this and are they gonna do that? And the fact that you were using storytelling as vehicle for sharing content really intrigued me because I was like well could this work for me because it's not You know when you start a business and they're saying you have to share content, and it's all got to be like this. And you've got to do in this particular way, and you need to get their pet really pick on that pain and make it really painful uncomfortable and really sell to them. And almost like this underhandness I really didn't like that! And I think that's probably the reason why they didn't want the right content but your idea of writing content and sharing it through the story process really helped me because

14:18 When you use it as a story, you're giving people really great examples of how you've worked with somebody. What the transformation was so that somebody else can then think oh that could happen to me but I think the other thing with your storytelling which really really did help me still does to this day is the frameworks that you create and then because i've got something to hang my information onto, I've got the dots to join It's so much easier for me because I just focus on those little bits and we're not trying to think of the whole big thing from a sort of dyslexic point of view Another thing that's been so, so important is the exercises. So my absolute favourite exercise you did with us was the jungle one where you have to imagine yourself in the jungle. And so I've got a lovely poster on my wall and it's called The Dyslexia Jungle, and on one side you've got me and you've got all the ideas of a parent who is really stuck with dyslexia – the frustration, the anxiety, the fears – as you can see they're all listed on one side then iIve got my jungle in the middle which is the school journey

15:18 Hiccups that might happen or the types of bumps in the road, so you know exam access arrangements. How to pick the right school? how to choose GCSEs which university to go to all these big things on the journey through the jungle of school and then on the other side I've got a happy mum they're really really empowered mom who's really positive and proactive knows what to do knows how to do it she's very happy her child is achieved And just because I've mapped that out on the wall, it's super easy as a point of reference for me to look at and go right this is what we're talking about today. This is what we're looking at today and I can really focus back in on those key points and not get lost. It's really clear that it's there and I think that's one thing you do so well is make things super clear. Yeah oh fabulous thank you!

15:58 And I do, you know everything i do is about trying to make stuff simple because I know how overwhelming everything can be. Running a business is overwhelming it's hard there are so many moving parts there are so many things to think about and hats to wear So if I can make this thing really simple for people, and actually I always try and get people thinking that this is not an extra thing. Another thing that you've got to add on to all of the things that you're already doing it can be THE THING! It can be THE way you grow your business. It certainly has been the way that i've grown my business

16:39 So I love that you have appreciated this simplicity of it, the structure. It's about having structure isn't it and having frameworks to work within? And I know that years ago when i was looking at storytelling, that I found a lot of people making it quite complicated. You know and talking about the hero's journey and the 47 steps and all the nuances and all the different types of stories

17:20 And I thought, God this is a lot. This is a lot for business owners to have to get their head around on top of trying to run their business so keeping things simple creating really simple frameworks that people can take all the stuff that's going round in their head and get it down to something really nice and concise and simple is a big part of what I do so I'm glad So, I love that you took my jungle story and exercise and turned it into something very visual. That's the type of thing that I do so…

18:07 When you think about sharing stories and the work that we've done together over the last few years, how has that helped you personally and professionally? Like I know in one of the feedback forms that you gave me you said you've got more confidence, more clients and more impact. So i'd love for you to just tell me a bit more about that what difference has that made to you? I think there's two things going on here there's a lot of work around My belief and what I'm capable of, and I think through doing a lot of the exercises you've set through the process has really helped me get clarification. And working one-to-one really then put the cherry on top of that because we really made sure it was all honed in work really well together so that was super important to me

18:52 But I think it's also the practical strategies as well, things that i can dip straight into and get on with and I can do. So I'm not having to think how am I going to format a story? Oh I want to think about this... You give us prompts you say think about this how could you weave that in? Think about that! How could you weave that in? And so my head is always like looking around me going oh that could be a story All that could be a story, or I could turn that into a story. And the thing isn't that there's something one thing might happen but then like you say this tiny little thread so you could take on lots of different directions So noting down those as well. So we've always got a bank things to write about it's been really great But I think the other thing and I didn't really appreciate until I did it was I've got a newsletter and I will send letters out not very regularly quite spontaneously To my list

19:39 I've got a list of parents that have signed up for it, just the top tips things to think about. Things that might be going on in the education world that might be relevant but i also started sharing stories as i'd written them with you and there was one lady who...I don't know how she learned about me? I think she might actually read something on LinkedIn, one of my stories on LinkedIn Then she signed up for my email list and then I shared a different story about the lady that worked with. And, I was talking about her parents and the challenge that she'd been in and explained how she felt where child was what we did together what the outcome was. And off the back of that within...I don't know it wasn't even a day The lady had emailed me back to book a discovery call which we had quite quickly. And the lady has been on the call with me for 10 minutes then she said this is really strange

20:26 I don't really know you at all, nobody's referred to me so it's not as if i've got a direct link. She said she'd read the story that you had written And she said, I know that you get me. I know instantly you get me. I've spoken to for 10 minutes and it's really clear that you do understand where I am, where I'm going and also where I could be can I just sign up right now? And I was like yeah thank you! That's lovely question but she... It was really funny because we were doing it on Zoom and watching her face she went this is really strange. I'm not this type of person. I don't normally sign up just like this but I really do know that you're the person that I need to help me right now to get to the next stage where I need to be

21:06 And it was just like, whoa! This works. It was brilliant but that's all because I was brave enough to write the story following your format and then share it and then not listen to the gremlins who were telling me not to do it and just go out there and do it. That's what I did. Yeah absolutely you know I talk all the time about Sharing stories so that your ideal client shows up already knowing that they want to work with you. I say it all the time, but I love hearing those examples of people who are already sold. The stories have done the heavy lifting – they've made a connection and built trust and then they come on the call. And when people come on a call about joining Storytelling Mastery

21:55 They come on, I know within seconds that they're already completely bought in. Maybe they've got a couple of questions about how it works but they already know that i'm the guide that they want to take them on this journey because they already feel connected to me and sometimes I have people say things like It's really odd you don't know me because I feel like I really know you And that's just because of the stories that I share. Yeah and i think that's important as well isn't it, because at the end of the day I'm working with something that's not tangible, it's not like I'd say oh give me your business so I can turn it around and get you to six figures in six months! It's sort of they're trusting me to be able to a help steer her child's future but b work in a way that isn't that tangible doesn't show definite results at any point in time if

22:44 To really get to them, be able to talk to them on different levels and the empathy is key that I understand them. They know that I understand them and there's no like and trust And that's where you do the best business, isn't it? Because it's not a business transaction to search. It's more an opportunity to help that family transform and to do something that they currently don't think is possible. Yeah definitely! And what about like personally what limiting beliefs have you been able to change because I know that you said oh writing isn't that scary with the right support so yeah how has it helped you and your confidence It's definitely helped. You'd think being a teacher that I could teach myself these things and to teach myself the way that i teach my children, that's exactly it! Get the pen onto the paper and then start to play start to explore without the fear of what's going to happen and then that's when... That's when the magic happens and that's what I found with this is very much like that with me. It's not worry about all the baggage, just get the pen on the paper think about your ideal customer think what you can do for them so for me

23:46 It's made so much difference to my confidence as a professional because I know I've got the technical skills behind me. I know I've got the expertise behind me in terms of dyslexia and I can share it, and once I get there I'm really good! But for me to have the confidence to say that I am going to share this article or write this post, I'm actually going to do some speaker training so then use these stories and share them in that situation It's made such a big difference how I run my business and how I perceive my business and myself within that as well. So, there has been a lot! And like you say as well story is something that is really important to me and I really love stories and storytelling and making that thing that I adore a central pivotal part of my business and taking it from that point outwards

24:30 It's completely changed how I run my business, how i think about my business and what I'm sharing. So yeah so I am extremely grateful. Oh you're welcome! It sounds like it was the missing piece for you. You had the expertise, you had the programme, you knew exactly what you wanted to do and who with – you just didn't quite know how to get it out there and how to talk to people about it? Yeah! And I think that's like a jigsaw – you've got all of the pieces and they're sort of coming together and you can see the pictures there and the business side is brilliant People really want that help but it's just how do I get share with people who don't already know about me what i do and how i do it if i can't see them face to face? And especially with that Covid time and where you couldn't go out networking, being able to write a story and share a story

25:17 And you can share it on LinkedIn, you can share it on my blog and share in my newsletter. I can share verbally when I'm giving, talking at masterclasses or workshops all these little stories come in different ways and different places It doesn't all have to be written on a piece of paper but I think that you just gave me the skills to build the stories The other bit that was really important to me was the whole process that we go through in Storytelling Mastery when you're looking at my business story, the business itself but also my customer and client's stories. Bringing them all together and then at the heart of that having my golden thread having a core message that goes through there as well And I think it was getting a bit muddy water shall i say because what do I do? How do I phrase this? What do I do here?

26:02 Sitting with you, both through the mastery and doing it one-to-one. I'm really looking at all the bits all the parts of puzzle that i had and then you helping me just tie them together bring them together and gradually... It was a bit like a kaleidoscope when everything's a bit messy and as you turn things become more into focus You can start seeing things more clearly And I think thats the really great thing about the whole Storytelling Mastery is You make us go through this process of getting all our ideas, getting them all together but then you pull them together so right at the very end of it you have this very simple model which is a very very clever model but from that we can see how everything else is going to spin out and radiate out from that. And I think that's really helped me build my confidence and my belief in what I can do as well. It's so important isn't it? To have

26:50 Clear, concise core message that sits at the heart of everything because it helps you to not Go off on tangents, it stops your content from feeling random and disconnected and a bit ad hoc and thrown out there which I know a lot of people feel like that is what their content is like. Just tying it all together seeing how its all connected having that golden thread having that central piece that sits at the heart of everything. I sometimes describe it as it's the chorus of the song Right, so you've got a song and you've got all the verses and you've got the story in there but it always comes back to a very normally quite short punchy chorus that they repeat again and again. The title of the song is often in the chorus

27:41 And it's repeated throughout the song. And often if you say to somebody, like if you mention a song, it's the chorus that they'll be singing in their head so your messaging is like that. That's what you want. You want everything to come back to that chorus of your song And so many people out there do not know what the chorus of their song is. So they're throwing stuff out there, they're telling stories, they're throwing content out there but there's no chorus that's pulling it all together so that people absolutely know and can repeat and can tell other people what its about. Yeah absolutely I think with a chorus as well

28:18 Naturally, if you hear a song and it's the chorus that sits in your head all day and you're still humming that aren't you throughout the day. And I think that's the really great thing about what we've done here is Having that golden thread and knowing that yes, you can create all these story ideas. And yes I do create them but knowing just how to bring them back in tie them all back together and for me knowing that every one of my stories is relating back to the positive possibilities of dyslexia really helps because it keys me in and makes sure I'm staying on task and not getting a bit distracted but I am always coming back to that point and thats always the point where I work from so yeah Really, really important. Amazing! Who do you think Storytelling Mastery is perfect for? Oh do you know I think saying anybody sounds a little bit... that's a bit random. I think somebody who is passionate about understanding their ideal customer really wants to understand and really wants to help them and somebody who works very much from a

29:19 I think people who really got an interest in people, And I think that if people are wanting to talk to people, wanting to communicate with people in a really effective way. I think this would be an ideal program for them and maybe people too like me if you might have dyslexia or ADHD, there might be lots of things that you find you struggle with whether it's been identified Don't worry about the writing part, I'd say. If writing is a bit scary to you but you really want to do it or if you think it's a good way to do things this is brilliant programme because... It's not written specifically for people like me but I think the way that its set up and the way that it is created gives you scope to be yourself, really understand your ideal customer and how you want to help them

30:16 But it also gives you the opportunity to build something that's going to make a difference as well. So, it's not sort of very prescriptive cookie cutter, you have to do things in a particular way. It's very open-ended in terms of where you can end up and where you can go too so the structure is there, the guidance is there but you can make it be what you want it to be And I think for people who just want a little bit of structure, a little bit of grounding. Maybe somebody to hold their hand, somebody to be their cheerleader. You've got the practical strategies you've got the mindset strategies but then you also have the membership group itself and you know that ability to connect with people so if you're feeling a little bit isolated you've got groups there So there's a writing room on Wednesday morning which is a brilliant opportunity to sit you can write and focus

30:59 So, I'm going to start off with a bit of background on something that might be going on for you at the time. You've got Susan available, you can chat if you need too but also have a connection there with the community and other people to sit with so if you're feeling lost or alone because And then there's a lot of other things that you can do in the writing room, but also there are connection sessions as well. We can meet fellow members of the community. There is lots of chat and opportunities to work with others and get feedback from Susan or the team and really feel part of a process, part of a community so I think if you're feeling lost It's a good point. Most weeks we do two calls, so there are lots and lots of opportunities for people to jump on the call, you know talk brainstorm ideas talk through any challenges we do hot seat sessions So yeah lots of opportunities for people who actually like to be part of a group talking to other people getting up jumping on the calls and opportunities to get coached and helped along the way

32:03 So, thank you so much Sue for taking the time to come and share your story, your journey, your why and how stories have helped you personally. How they've helped you professionally? And the impact they've had on you and your business I'm so grateful to you for coming and sharing it's been a joy to talk to you Thank you so much! All i can say is thank you because You've been a really big part of my business and how I'm taking it forward, and i think without you in the support you provided. I probably wouldn't have had well...I know I wouldn't have had the confidence to leave my teaching job and then go all-in and do it as full time business as a consultant coach so thank you so much for that because even though you've been doing stuff that big stuff you've been doing a lot of stuff as well sort of one-to-one which has really really empowered me and helped me make some really big decisions for the right reasons and then in the right way which is totally invaluable to me

33:00 As I was listening back to my chat with Sue, I was struck by something really important. The thing that unlocked everything for her wasn't learning how to write better it was shifting who she was writing for the moment she stopped writing with the fear of being judged and started writing with the intention to help one real person who needed her I also realised how similar we are.

33:46 We're clearly both very visual and need to see things before we can make sense of them. We both get overwhelmed if things feel overly complicated, so we like them broken down into steps that feel simple and doable We like structure and frameworks to work within, not to be formulaic but to be focused. And it made me realise that I designed Storytelling Mastery to be all of those things and more! A place to get clarity on all the things that have been going round in your head about what you do and who for – and how to talk about that

34:28 A system to join the dots, find the connections and the golden thread that runs through all your stories and your customer's stories. A process to craft a simple core message that gets you known for what you do. Frameworks that help you see your value and feel more confident about showing up 100% as YOU so you attract the right people And a program and community that you can make work for you, your lifestyle, your time, your brain. So

35:09 I hope my conversation with Sue inspired you to share your stories in a way that feels simpler, kinder and more like you. And if having structure and simple frameworks and the right support and accountability is what's missing for you right now Reach out to me at Susan at TheBusinessOfStories.com or send me a message on social media and let's see where you're at, what you need and what would be the right next step for you? And I'll see you next time for more stories that do the selling for you so you don't have to!

35:51 Thank you so much for being here. I love that we get to do this together! Would you do me a huge favour and please rate, review and follow this podcast in Apple Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts? And i'll see you next time for more honest conversations meaningful connections and of course stories