301 Sharing Meaningful Stories To Portray Your Values and Skills

Storytelling has been a part of human culture since we lived in caves, from stories of great heroes to warnings not to go into dangerous places, knowing how to tell stories has been vital to our existence more now than ever. Knowing how to tell stories and knowing what meaningful stories to share is a skill that is important to hone and practice daily.

In this episode Sarah Elkins shares another meaningful story that exemplifies her values and skills as a professional and person, while also telling stories about others in her life and how through these stories show their own values and talents.

300 An Accidental Podcaster

Sometimes when we’re trying to give others an opportunity we don’t realize that we are the ones that would benefit most. We try our hardest, using our talents to the best of our ability, and through that hard work we can achieve greatness or sometimes stand in our own way.

In this episode Sarah Elkins ruminates on how she began this podcast and how it has given her the opportunity to hear the stories of others as well plenty of time to reflect on her own stories and how she has grown and changed as both an entrepreneur and storyteller.

299 Clarity and Having The Courage to Do What You Aspire To

The constant pressure to do the best and be the best is something many of us grew up knowing. Thinking we had to have straight A’s in school, trying to be the best in our extracurriculars, and even taking up tasks that should have been given to someone who’s skills would suit the task better, whether it’s because of our own internal voices or external pressures we need to learn to seek clarity and focus on the skills that make us invaluable to our team and family.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Mandi Graziano discuss how past failures, current clarity, and future aspirations drive us and shape us into who we are today.

298 You Have To Take Care of Yourself In Order To Be Your Best

Everything we do, whether it be work, caring for our families, or even going for a morning walk, all starts with ourselves and in today’s work culture of burning the candle at both ends, it can be easy to forget that we need to take breaks and prioritize our well being in order to do our best in everything we do. Hopefully by doing so we can model a behavior that others can follow and make a change for the better.

In this episode Sarah Elkins and Mandy Hoskinson discuss the importance of self care in today’s day and how others will follow by example, especially when it comes to creating a healthy and thriving environment.

297 Change, Growth, and Hope - How The Belief Others Have In Us Can Move Us

Change is an inevitable part of life, how you choose to handle that change is what defines us as people. Will you crumble and erode like an immovable boulder, or will you bend and grow like a sapling waiting for it's time to reach the sky? We never know what we are capable of until we are put to the test, even though sometimes others see our potential better than we ever could.

In this episode Sarah Elkins reconnects with her friend Amy Oviatt, they discuss these points as well as how our beliefs are shaped by our experiences and how others view us.

296 Storytelling Can Improve Your Career - It's Not Just Interviews

This is the 4th episode in a series on storytelling for professionals.

In episode 292, Sarah shared stories about her love language – which is cooking for people. She explained that when we share stories of the activities that bring us great joy in service to others, we offer a glimpse of our character and values to our audience, whether that’s at work, in an interview, with family and friends, or when we’re sharing content in any form of media or on any platform. Her stories of nurturing and nourishing people in her home demonstrated part of what makes her a good addition to any team – her positive energy and ability & ambition to create an environment where people feel safe and encouraged to bring their best.

Episode 294 was a story about a team she worked with at a job years ago. It was a work story that demonstrated her openness to learning, how she manages frustration and different ways of approaching projects and relationships, and her meeting facilitation skills.

And last week’s episode 295 was a personal story about planning a family reunion for 40 guests. It demonstrated her meeting & event planning skills, team building/leadership, and made it very clear what matters to her.

In this episode you'll hear about stories Sarah shared in job interviews, why she shared those particular stories, and the end result (spoiler alert: she didn't get the job).

The idea and goals for this series is for professionals to truly understand the value of sharing personal experiences and work stories in different environments, and to uncover your stories to begin collecting them so you're ready when an opportunity presents itself.

By preparing stories to answer the most common, (kind of stupid), questions, you have the opportunity to share so much about yourself, way beyond what’s on your resume and cover letter.

In any professional setting, whether around the proverbial water cooler, at a networking event, when presenting to your team or organization, side conversations during meetings, knowing how to share meaningful stories is a practical skill.

Collect your stories, practice them, and categorize them so you are likely to share the right one at the right time, with the right audience, demonstrating your skills, values, character, and vision.

Thanks for listening to Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will.

Curious about how Sarah's workshops and keynotes will help you and your audience or team be better ambassadors for your organization and their careers?

Visit her website, elkinsconsulting.com, to schedule a discovery call.

295 Personal Stories and How They Matter

The relevance of stories in career and life is something that is undeniable, whether it be a professional story about a time you were vital to your team at work, or a more personal story that demonstrates skills that are so second nature to you that you don’t even think about them any more, learning when and how to share every story and how they put your talents and values on display is a skill that can take you above and beyond.

In this episode Sarah Elkins shares a personal story that exemplifies her skills, talents, and values, throughout the story listen for cues, and take note of how she tells the story in a way that compliments everyone and the situation they were in, and not just herself.