How to Tell Your Story this Women’s History Month

Five Tips for Telling the Story of You 

March marks the start of Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to commemorating women’s trials, tribulations and triumphs in history. This year, 2023, the National Women’s History Alliance chose the theme of “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Here are five tips for telling your story:

1. Tell the story you need to share

Storytelling is nothing new; humans have been telling stories since the dawn of time. This is because storytelling clarifies our beliefs, values, morals, and how we view ourselves and the world. Still, there are a million untold stories, and chances are, if you have a story begging to be told, someone out there is waiting to hear it.

Telling your story allows you to better understand yourself and helps others better understand you. In her blog, “How the story you tell about yourself affects your life,” Emily Esfahani Smith explains that taking parts of our lives and placing them into a narrative helps us to have “coherence,” which is “a key source of meaning.” Simply put, telling your truth allows you to find meaning.

2. Be authentic

Oxford Languages defines ‘Authentic’ as “of undisputed origin; genuine.” Therefore, to be authentic in storytelling, you must show your audience that you are credible and genuine. 

Jordan Bower, a storytelling and creativity consultant, suggests that authentic stories show a shift in the storytellers’ perspective of themselves. He explains that just saying you overcame something isn’t enough to get your audience to believe you; you have to show how you’ve changed. Explaining to your listeners how you’ve grown and changed helps build trust in you and allows you to be an authentic storyteller.

3. Be vulnerable

The stories that stick with us the most are personal and emotional ones. When you can be vulnerable and share the truth, it helps others to understand where you’re coming from. When we tell stories that evoke emotion, it helps the listener to feel what we feel and relate to us. This is because emotional stories cause neural coupling to occur in our brains. 

According to Connie Smith, account director, Bartle Bogle Hegarty, “Neural coupling is when the neurons firing in the brain of someone listening to a story begin mirroring those firing in the brain of the storyteller.” Essentially, the storyteller and the listener undergo a shared experience resulting in more profound understanding and empathy. So, when you tell your story, don’t stop showing your emotions because it helps your listener connect with you.

4. Highlight your successes and failures.

It’s understandable to want to be the hero of your story, and most often, we are the heroes of our own stories. However, not everything we do is always a success or the right choice. We all have mistakes, and highlighting the good and the bad in your story makes you more relatable.

The Polished Publishing Group Publisher’s Blog suggests that sharing our failures shows us the capabilities of the human spirit and that “That’s where true inspiration lives—in rising up from failure, especially when all the odds are stacked against you.” We find motivation in seeing others rise from the ashes because it lets us know we can do it too. In addition, making sense of your failures and showing how you turned them into successes helps you visualize and feel pride in your growth.

5. Have fun

Even if your story is sensitive or emotional, it is crucial to have fun while telling it. Adding humor to your story is a great way to have fun while telling it. Humor can help you breach sensitive subjects, keep your audience interested and make your story more memorable.

Allowing yourself to relax and have fun while telling your story will make your story more enjoyable for yourself and your listeners. According to 42courses.com, “Laughter promotes the release of endorphins or ‘feel-good’ hormones in the brain. It has also been shown to reduce the volume of the two major stress hormones: cortisol and epinephrine.” In addition, adding humor to your story helps your listeners. It can take the pressure off you and add ease to your storytelling.