“How Are You Going to Advance Your Own Story?”
FORMAT: Speech
CLIENT: Senior program manager at a North American company with 65,000+ employees
INDUSTRY: Automotive
OPPORTUNITY: To celebrate and honor Black History Month in February
CHALLENGE: To move people who feel stuck (between where they are now and where they want to go) to instead own their unique experiences, focus on what is working, and actively advance their own stories.
SERVICES: Speech strategy/alignment to corporate strategy, planning, interviewing, research, message and framework development, speechwriting, line editing, executive speech coaching
APPROACH: Build the talk around a clear question (“How are you going to advance your own story?”) and then answer it by telling a personal, family-rooted story that models the mindset shift the speaker wants for his audience.
Deliberately use vivid narrative episodes (the speaker’s mother’s salon, the speaker’s own hungry college years, turning around a struggling district) to make abstract ideas like confidence, dreaming big and “focusing on the donut, not the hole” feel concrete and memorable.
Techniques that stand out include a simple three‑lesson structure, recurring phrases and triads (“be confident, dream big, focus on the donut”), direct questions to the audience, and specific role-model shout‑outs inside the company to help listeners see themselves in the message.
SAMPLE: Request a copy of the speech
“I had fun doing it!
“This would not be possible without your help and guidance!
“You are amazing … I’m grateful for having gone through this process.”
THE SPEAKER
Senior program manager at a North American company with 65,000+ employees
“(The speaker) has received SO much feedback on his incredible speech. It warmed our hearts and inspired us all. Your work continues to amaze us! Thank you for sharing your gift.”
PROGRAM MANAGER
North American company with 65,000+ employees
