Inspiring Lives Magazine Spring 2017: Issue 4 | Page 20

LIVING
When it comes to storytelling and captivating your
audience, big or small, your “how” will always be more
powerful than your “what.” So, stop worrying so much
about choosing the perfect words, and start sharing!
Focus on the how. Get comfortable being seen. Play
around with your message. No one remembers the girl
at the party who said the perfect sentence, but they
always remember the girl who shone her light into the
room, just by being herself.
Your energy tells your story.
STEP 2: STRUCTURE
Once you’re clear on how you want to shine your light
into the world, it’s important to put it into a structure.
Audiences (and people in general) appreciate struc-
ture. We naturally look for patterns, because we like to
find ways to feel like we’re in control, like we can predict
what’s going to happen next. Therefore, if you want your
audience to feel at ease, it’s great to create a predictable
structure of sorts. You see this all the time by the way a
host will open or close a show using the same taglines
or phrases, or the way that every movie theater has trivia
questions, an intro, and ad for the concession stands fol-
lowed by previews and then the movie.
You know what to expect, so you’re more open to re-
ceive it. It feels familiar. You trust it.
Trust—it’s important to build with an audience if you
want to inspire them to change their lives in some way.
Why should they trust you?
If you want to build a strong following, then you have
to make it easy for people to trust you and get to know
you—good thing you got comfortable being seen during
the first step! Develop a structure for how and when
people can expect to hear from you. And, when they
DO hear from you, it should be aligned with the kind
of brand and message they would expect from you.
Help your audience deal with the fact that they can’t
predict the future, no matter how badly they want to:
give them a structure to lean on.
STEP 3: MARKETING
Oh, marketing. The very piece that bridges a hobby and
a career. The chance for you to shine your light and re-
ceive at the same time.
Don’t be afraid to receive. Let people know what
you’re worth. Stand in everything you have to offer.
20
INSPIRING LIVES
SPRING 2017
Marketing is where a lot of people, especially women,
start to doubt the worthiness of their message. They
wonder “Who am I to be saying this?” “Why are people
going to care?” “What if they judge me?”
Those thoughts are all perfectly normal, and I’ve never
met a successful person who didn’t have those thoughts
along the way. The difference is, they didn’t let those
thoughts stop them.
Marketing is where the rubber meets the road for your
mission. This is an important step, not only for YOU,
but for your audience too. If you don’t stand up to say
“I’m here!” how will they know where to find you? If
you don’t show them the different ways they can work
with you, how will they know where to begin?
Marketing isn’t about asking for something, it’s about
creating an opportunity for even more connection. It’s
about inviting your audience into your world a little
more. It’s about knowing that it’s safe for you to shine
and receive abundance in return.
Stop playing small.
Stop second guessing.
Stop selling yourself short.
Get out there, and tell them what you’ve got to offer.
Don’t even THINK about giving them a discount ei-
ther. You’re worth every penny.
Play around with these steps in your business life, as
well as your professional life. The important thing is
that you continue to explore. Get to know yourself, your
story, the structure that feels good for you, and then
shine it into the world, one light beam at a time. n
Jenn Lederer is a motivational speaker, leadership coach, and
creator of the podcast, Weekly Alignment™ (where humor
meets wellness & business). While she works with a broad spec-
trum of clients, Jenn’s experience as the former COO of a talent
management company gives her a unique insight working with
those in the entertainment industry. With her wicked sense
of humor, intuition, and no-bullshit approach to coaching &
wellness, she is able to help her clients authentically see them-
selves and stop playing small. She can help guide you to the
other side of fear; identify your patterns that hold you back and
help you to redefine them so that you can authentically show up
in the world. JennLederer.com