Yesterday in the Laptop Lounge we had guest speaker Michael Thompson — a storytelling coach —deliver a 60 minute deep dive into storytelling frameworks for content creation.

I want to share one of the core storytelling ideas he teaches since it's a must for those creating content and building their personal brand.

The idea is simple and Michael calls it cornerstone stories.

What is a cornerstone story?

A cornerstone story is a key experience in our life that shows a BIG transformation.

Think of stories you've seen online that fall into these buckets:

+ Lost to found
+ Rags to riches
+ Dark to enlightened

Michael has 2 great cornerstone stories he leans on often one of which is the story of how he lost $250,000, took the last couple thousand he had in the bank and bought a one way ticket from the U.S.A. to Barcelona to complete start over his life. Check out how his life began anew when you have a couple minutes.

But essentially cornerstone stories are the life defining decisions you've made that lead you to where you are today.

+ Why you started a business
+ Why you moved to a new city
+ Why you ended up getting divorced

These huge moments define who you are as a person.

But they also allow your audience to get to know you on a much deeper level.

When it comes to content, this is how you can become relatable without ruining any of your existing authority.

So how do you determine what you're cornerstone stories are so you can share them in your content...?

There are 2 exercises you can do to unlock these stories, I'll share one with you today. 

It's called the timeline (macro) exercise. Here's how it works:

You will create a timeline just like you've seen anywhere else, yet you will make it of your own life.

You will label 3 core key aspects of these big life events.

1) What happened (the event)
2) Details that led to the event occurring
3) How you felt before the event, during the event, and after the event

Allow me to give you an example from myself.

One of my cornerstone stories is how I quit my job in 2015 and started my first business.

You can read a LinkedIn post to see how I share that story on social media here.

But essentially I wrote down those 3 categories above to outline and prep the story.

1) The event → Quit my job

2) Why I quit → Deeply unsatisfied with pay, potential, and the work I was doing

3) How I felt before (depressed and unfulfilled), how I felt during (scared and anxious), and how I felt after (relieved and proud)

When you write down your cornerstone ideas sharing storytelling content becomes 10x easier.

You have a databank full of unique angles and experiences you can share whenever you want.

And that's soooo powerful on the days you aren't sure what to create.

I hope this helps you jot down the most impactful stories of your life, and you get out there and share it...

Remember → We can all learn from everyone.

Hope this helps, and if you'd like to access Michael's full storytelling workshop along with dozens more expert-led presentations, join the Laptop Lounge Community for remote entrepreneurs to grow your online business faster and network with other business owners.

That's all for this week. Cheers.