by Dr. Amit Nagpal
Dr. Amit Nagpal is a chief inspirational Story Teller and LinkedIn influencer. He lives in New Dehli.
His philosophy: „Every life has a story, every story must be brought to life!“
Hint for communication: When clients or friends ask me for advice, I always add a note in the end: "This is my opinion, based on my perception“
Recognition: And we get what we deeply believe in. I believed that human love is always conditional and it was proven true. I started believing in unconditional love deeply and I'm now flooded with it. Belief is surely the pen with which we write our stories
Does your Linkedin Profile (or any of your profiles on social media!)Tell a Captivating Story?
One of the most boring tasks in the world is to read the Linkedin profiles of your connections. They are full of jargon, overloaded with information & lengthy recommendations and everything else that can bore you to death. Even the summary of many a profile has the potential to give you a headache.We live in an age where attention span has been subtracted (or reduced) from our lives, yet the paradox is that we call it ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). In such attention deficit times, how do we make our Linkedin profile catchy, easy to read and probably with something that people remember us for?
Here are my few suggestions:-)
The Headline
The headline is your first story and has to be really catchy and impressive. Even a senior professional should be tempted to send you an invite, impressed by your headline or curious to know you more. Your headline introduces you to the world and it must introduce you well. If you have reached the stature of Barack Obama or Ken Blanchard, then it’s OK. In any case people will start saying, “Here comes a man who needs no introduction.” Interestingly I noted that Ken Blanchard’s profile on Quora has no headline. You don’t need a headline Ken, we know you as the one minute manager after all.
Profile Summary
Let your profile summary tell your story, its key turning points, the skills you developed on the way and weave all these in a sequence which shows our choices and consequences. Add the twists and turns to make it captivating. Here are three sample stories of Lori Ruff (popularly known as Linkedin Diva), Michael Margolis (Chief Instigator, Get Storied), and my own.Co-create your story with the help of a professional and you will find a place in not just top of the minds, but top of the hearts and souls of your connections. I co-created this interesting story with a client Vijay Nallawala recently, who is also doing great work for BPD (Bi-Polar Disorder) patients.
Show your Human Side
The world is moving from B2B / B2C days to H2H. It is all about being Human and interacting on a Human to Human level. Lori Ruff describes her human side too in a very touching way. She points out the story how she became a spokesperson for “Arthritis National Research Foundation“ and says,
“I believe in empowering change in the world – change for the people I meet – change for you. Why should you care that I’m a “spokesmodel” for this organization?With youthful curiosity, I work to accept my humanity. I seem to ask questions, think, and believe a little differently than my peers. Despite having aggressive, incredibly painful and debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis (Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disorder or RAD), continued enthusiasm and sincerity link me to everyone I meet.”
Interestingly, I was surprised to note that even a deep thinker like John Hagel, management consultant & author (Harvard Business School alumni) based in Sillicon Valley has the word 'play' as part of his profile headline. His Twitter headline is “Work and play on the edge - views breathtaking, experiences deep and satisfying, learning limitless.” We are moving to a playful world and I try to give a playful touch to my stories as and when possible.
Add Loads of Energy
The immense energy I find in Lori’s profile is captivating. She writes, “Just like a Rock Concert, we get people super excited to learn how they can use LinkedIn & Social Media to drive their performance to higher levels. Need a FUN and INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER for your conference or gathering? Interested in something other than the status quo? WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!” We are moving into an era of edutainment, where too much seriousness is considered boring even at work. Lori has been an actor, singer and performer, so a bit of dramatization is but natural. Her profile even tells us the common spelling (misspellings rather) of her name and the fact that she is a blonde.Integrate the Story of your OrganisationRead the profile of Jennifer Sertl, President, Agility 3R and how she has beautifully integrated her story and the organisation story in the summary. Storytelling is a great tool to integrate your personal brand with the organisation brand, so get the best out of it.
Be You
The most important rule for great storytelling is being authentic and being you. Don’t be playful and humourous, if you have a very serious personality and perception. Be as much 'You' as much possible and your story is bound to become “The Story”.Let me end with an interesting story from my life. A gentleman walked into my office. He appeared over-friendly first and I began to feel uncomfortable. After a while I could not stop myself from asking him, ''You are behaving as if you already know me though we are meeting for the first time.'' He replied, ''May be you don't know me but I do.''I was even more perplexed. And he continued, ''Familiarity breeds a conect too. I am already familiar with you because I have read many of your stories.'' 'Oh' and I heaved a sigh of relief.
Are you ready to story?
Contact:
Web: www.dramitnagpal.com