What Abraham Lincoln Knows About Your Story

The story goes that Leonard Swit was a friend of Abraham Lincoln’s.

He was summoned by Lincoln to the White House when Lincoln was considering the idea of proclaiming the abolition of slavery.

Swit traveled across country to meet Lincoln. He sat down and listened to Lincoln talk…and talk…and talk….and question himself…and list the pros and cons of the proclamation.

Lincoln went on and on…working through the many questions that plagued him in this dilemma….for 7 hours! And not a word from Swit.

At the end of that time, Lincoln said, “Mr. Swit, I want to thank you for coming. I have my answer.”

What Happened?

Lincoln used another human being to create space so he could “flesh out” his thoughts. By doing that, he accessed a part of himself much deeper than he could have had he merely given it superficial thought. Or merely thought about it on his own.

It required space and another human being to do that.

We Talk Lots About Your Story

You should craft your story in a way that reveals part of you. The “Swit Approach” would be a good one for you to use. Work through it, not unlike a comic might when he’s trying out new material.

Record it. Play it back. Re-record it. Play it back again. Your story is so important that you need to get it right. Talking through it aloud (or with another person) is quite helpful in getting it right.

If you want to hear more about how to fashion your story, go to www.advancedsellingpodcast.com and search on “Story.” There’s a great interview there with the master of story himself, Bo Eason.

What about you? Ever used another person as a sounding board for a presentation or a speech? How’d it go?