3. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
You were born with particular giftedness. You have
developed talents and incredible strengths. This process
is designed to uncover them so that you can choose to
work them out.
Before we begin. I want to check now if there are any
elephants in the room? At any time, if there’s something
that isn’t clear. Anything that you want to understand.
Then speak up. We’ll have an ELEPHANT BOARD to park
elephants that need addressing but can be left until
later.
4. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
Our early childhood is often the only time we express
ourselves truthfully. In our late teens or early twenties,
we’re almost true to ourselves. As we get older we begin
to conform to the way others think we should be and
act.
So what's in your story? We ISOLATE each one in turn
briefly and then I am going to get you to work on this
with a partner.
We begin this STORY with a question to our partner:
What things have you done in your life that you enjoyed
doing and believe you did well?
Choosing any 2 POY cards lay them out on the template
for each of the STORY elements: S.T.O.R and Y
5. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
S is for STRENGTHS.
What things have you done in your life that you enjoyed
doing and believe you did well?
Strengths are the verbs that your client uses in relating
the story.
T is for TOPICS.
This is the nouns in the story. When they are using their
strengths, what on, in, or for?
6. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
O is for OPTIMAL CONDITIONS.
Inside each experience there are triggers for the client.
These start their engine, get them going or 'push them
over the edge'.
R is for RELATIONSHIPS.
Look for the people in the experience. Who are they?
What do these people mean to the client?
7. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
Y is for YES!!!!
What makes your client say "Yes!" This is what I love to
do, want to do, spend my life doing?
This is possibly the most intense and personal
conversation you will have.
8. What's my STORY?
What's my STORY?
Getting to the Root of your Gifts and Talents
How was the experience for you? Did you learn
something of value about yourself?
Have you uncovered a strength or talent that you
weren't fully aware of.
An unfed passion? Awakened a motivation?
You will find it useful to know why this works from a
neuroscientific standpoint so that you can explain to the
Human Resources team how this magical experience is
actually very serious science.
9. What's my STORY?
WHAT’S MY STORY? ACTION GUIDE
You can work on this alone, or better still with a partner who prompts you with the question each time and keeps the
momentum going.
Work through this quite quickly and allow your unconscious mind to feed the answers. Do not censor yourself as your story
unfolds, just let it flow.
Our intention with this is to enable you to find a significant story (from your life) that is an occasion when you did
something well and enjoyed doing it.
1. Start by choosing any picture from the Points of You deck
a. Study the first Picture, taking your time with each card and ask yourself:
What do I see in the picture? (Literally and metaphorically)
What is it made up of? (figures, details, colours, light and shade)
What detail is most significant for me? Why?
What happened just before? What will happen just after?
What is missing in the picture? What would I add to it?
Where would I place myself in the picture? If at all?
Do I like or dislike the picture? Why?
What emotions, feelings. Memories does it arouse?
How do all these connect with my passion, drive and motivations?
b. Study the Word
What other words can be made up from the same letters?
What word has the opposite meaning?
Do I like or dislike the word? Why?
What emotions, feelings, and memories does it arouse?
How does the word connect with the picture I am looking at?
Would I connect a different word with the picture?
How do all these connect with my passion, drivers and motivations?
2. Tell your partner (or yourself) of an occasion when you did something well and you enjoyed doing it.
This could be any time in your life, in any context. I t does not have to be about work. It is any time
when you did something well and enjoyed doing it. The more significant for you, the better.
3. Tell the story.
a. What were you doing?
b. What were you using to do this, or what were you doing this on or to?
c. Where were you?
d. What caused you to do this?
e. Who else was involved? Or, who were you doing this for?
10. What's my STORY?
My STORY 1
What were you doing?
Look for the
VERBS
What were you using to
do this, or what were you
doing this on or to?
Where were you?
Look for the
NOUNS
What cause you to do
this?
Look for the
TRIGGERS
Who else was involved?
Or
Who were you doing this
for?
Look for the
PEOPLE
Combine for YES
Show the key VERBS,
NOUNS, TRIGGERS and
PEOPLE
11. What's my STORY?
My STORY 2
What were you doing? Look for the
VERBS
What were you using to
do this, or what were you
doing this on or to?
Where were you?
Look for the
NOUNS
What cause you to do
this?
Look for the
TRIGGERS
Who else was involved?
Or
Who were you doing this
for?
Look for the
PEOPLE
Combine for YES
Show the key VERBS,
NOUNS, TRIGGERS and
PEOPLE
12. What's my STORY?
My STORY 3
What were you doing? Look for the
VERBS
What were you using to
do this, or what were you
doing this on or to?
Where were you?
Look for the
NOUNS
What cause you to do
this?
Look for the
TRIGGERS
Who else was involved?
Or
Who were you doing this
for?
Look for the
PEOPLE
Combine for YES
Show the key VERBS,
NOUNS, TRIGGERS and
PEOPLE
13. What's my STORY?
My Strengths and Talents
From the three stories, what are the common verbs? Or a ‘master’ verb that would usefully be a synonym for the strengths
revealed?
What is commonly involved, the “what else is involved in this”?
What are the common triggers?
Who is typically involved?
Summarize these below.
And finally, write a statement that would tell anybody what our real talent is, when, where and how this is triggered, what
and who else is involved. If you spent every day doing this, would that excite you?
STRENGTHS Common VERBS
TOPICS Common NOUNS
OPTIMAL CONDITIONS Common
TRIGGERS
RELATIONSHIPS Common PEOPLE
YES Combine all the
above.
