Meet the team: Michelle
Content Strategist, new member of the team and fellow Londoner Michelle Davies met with Hari to share more about her career across copywriting and content production. She includes a fantastic story about her work with a bestselling author!
How did you become a storytelling trainer?
I’ve been a storyteller since I was 18 – I’m a trained journalist and started my career on my local newspaper straight after school. Subsequently I worked my way up to being a senior editor on some of the most successful brands in UK magazine publishing, including being a key member of the launch team for Grazia.
Now I specialise in providing content, editing and communications for magazines, newspapers and high street brands including John Lewis & Partners. I’m also a writing coach for new and established authors both independently and via Curtis Brown Creative.
It’s through this that I’ve honed my storytelling training, teaching my clients to identify what makes a great story and giving them the confidence to share theirs.
Tell me why Storytelling is important to you…
Storytelling has not only informed my entire career but also my life. For me, the ability to share, swap and develop stories is what makes us human.
Onto your superpower! What’s your strength?
My superpower is… Lightbulb moments!
The most fulfilling part of storytelling training is when I help my clients work out why their story isn’t landing, either on the page or in a speech. Sometimes it’s just by giving them a nudge so they can see the wood for the trees – other times it’s giving them permission to chop the whole forest down. Those joyful lightbulb moments when they land on the solution are my favourite thing about the job!
Tell me your best client transformation story…
I had a Sunday Times bestselling author come to me in a panic because they had written four drafts of their new book and were six months past their publisher’s deadline, but the story STILL wasn’t working. I carried out a manuscript appraisal and identified the key issue – they had picked the wrong character to tell the story. One POV change later, the book went on to be another huge success.
Enlighten me – share something you think everyone should know or try!
The “what if?” prompt. It’s my go-to tool when clients are stuck on how to shape their stories.
For example, a client is writing a strategic report for the board about the need for a 5% reduction in materials spending across the business, but knows it will sound alarm bells. They mention the possibility of sourcing lower cost but more environmentally sustainable alternatives. I’ll use the “what if?” prompt to turn their thinking on its head. “What if you reframe the report to suggest a company-wide eco push?” The story of how the 5% reduction is achieved then becomes a positive one.
The “what if?” prompt is a fantastic technique to shape stories. Check out more tools, tricks and tips on our YouTube channel to help you build confidence in storytelling, public speaking and communicating
