In early March, the Gallant hoisted its sails and cast off from Columbia – its hold full of goods bounds for Europe.  Cocoa beans that would be turned into chocolate, coffee beans destined for England.  7500 miles later, at the end of May the Gallant docked in England and her cargo was unloaded.  Not an unusual story perhaps – certainly one that had been played out hundreds of times before.  What is unusual about the Gallant, however, is that she sailed not in the 1820 but in the 2020s.  This is the story of Falmouth’s Yallah Coffee and their new line of carbon-neutral fresh ground coffee that is shipped under sail.

Want to know what it taste’s like?  Watch the video below to see…

Back to the sailing boats and coffee…

 So apart from making a great excuse to drink some fine coffee – why was I talking about ships and morning rituals?

 It’s all about the story

The coffee tastes great – but what makes it stand out is the story that goes along with it

And what makes the story stand out is the ideas that gave birth to it.  The 7500 mile trip by sailboat makes the majority of the coffees journey from the Columbian plantation to coffee pot carbon neutral.

It’s not a story about coffee, it’s not a story about sail boats, it is a story about the environment impact of the things we buy every day.

Whether you are a speaker, blogger, trainer or coach – the most powerful tool in your arsenal is the stories you tell.

Picking a good story helps you connect with your audience and helps your audience connect with the ideas you are selling – facts tell but stories sell.

How do you ensure you have a good story to tell?  You need to be on the lookout – you have to become a fisher of stories, a collector of anecdotes, an illustration catcher.

I have an app on my phone that I use to jot down interesting phrases, ideas or stories when I come across them – and when I am looking for ideas for a blog post or an illustration for a talk I review the list for something suitable.  It takes time to build up a library of stories, but if you keep at it for a few months you will develop a good collection that you can use as the occasion demands.

Most of my stories involve my dogs, or my dad or an interesting mode of transportation – especially planes and boats.  If you been on one of my courses, you may have heard some of these…

• The tale of the pooping puppies

• The madness of Jazz the cockapoo

• How my Dad saved Concord

• Why I love the car I thought I would loath

• We’re going to need a bigger boat…

• The day I nearly got shot by the police 

But they are not stories about dogs or dads or planes – they are stories about leadership, personal growth, positive attitudes or how to be a better speaker.  That is – the point of the story – the idea they illustrate - is about leadership, personal growth, positive attitudes or how to be a better speaker.

I started with a story about coffee shipped under sail – the point of that story is how it helps you become a better speaker; that’s the big idea behind sharing the story.

The stories we share help build a connection and rapport with the audience

The stories we share define us in the market place.

Yallah Coffee has become the people who import their coffee by sailing ship – which speaks volumes on what they value, what is important to them and how innovative they want to be as a business.

All great speakers have a unique story that only they can share – and it becomes part of their brand identity.

This week’s resource is an invitation to join the 1000 Voices Challenge – over the course of 5 days this email challenge that will help you discover or define your unique story that can become the cornerstone of your speaking career.

I’m on a mission to find 1000 voices that the world needs to hear – people who have experienced defining moments and learned life changing lessons that need to be shared.

You can join in right now -  You can sign up for free at www.malmesburyspeakers.com/1000

If you want to become a paid speaker – a motivational speaker or trainer or coach – finding your unique story is an essential first step.  It is how you will stand out in the marketplace and it is how you will connect to your clients.

Find out all about the 1000 Voices Challenge and how you can easily sign up for free at www.malmesburyspeakers.com/1000