The law firm of choice for internationally focused companies

+263 242 744 677

admin@tsazim.com

4 Gunhill Avenue,

Harare, Zimbabwe

Public Storytelling Is The New Networking For Lawyers – Above the Law


I
tell
a
lot
of
stories
everywhere
I
go
and
especially
on
LinkedIn.
One
of
my
recent
posts
explained
that
if
you
and
I
ever
have
a
meal,
I
will
likely
follow
you
wherever
you
want
to
go.
Unless
we
are
in
Manhattan,
where
I’ll
say,
“Let’s
go
to
Tony’s.” 


The
post
then
explains
what
makes
Tony’s
so
special
to
me.
It’s
a
story
about
making
decisions,
large
and
small,
and
how
your
personal
and
professional
lives
intertwine
to
shape
who
you
become. 


Public
storytelling
is
how
professionals
network
in
today’s
interconnected
world,
especially
as
the
boundaries
between
our
personal
and
professional
lives
continue
to
blur.
An
interesting
human
being
exists
behind
every
professional
bio
and
social
media
profile.
A
person
with
a
history
of
experiences
and
passions

someone
likely
to
share
a
story
or
idea
if
asked. 


That
someone
is
YOU!
But
why
wait
for
others
to
ask
you
to
tell
your
story?
Why
not
just
start?
You
must
put
yourself
out
there
to
be
found. 


Networking
has
gone
from
mingling
in
crowds
at
industry
events
to
purposefully
expanding
your
presence
in
your
field
to
drive
your
career
forward.
Effective
networking
today
requires
us
to
tell
our
stories
in
various
forums,
from
social
media
to
speaking
engagements
to
blogs
and
beyond. 


Embrace
Social
Media
To
Build
A
Robust
Network
Via
Storytelling


With
so
much
of
our
lives
online
today,
embracing
social
media
can
help
you
build
a
robust
network
of
colleagues
and
friends. 


Don’t
try
to
build
a
large
presence
on
every
platform
immediately.
Start
in
a
forum
where
your
clients,
friends,
and
supportive
colleagues
are.
For
lawyers,
that’s
often
LinkedIn,
though
many
lawyers
feel
more
natural
on
Twitter
or
Instagram.
Others
feel
they
belong
on
Reddit
or
Medium.
Some
blockchain
and
Web3
enthusiasts
flock
to
Discord
and
Telegram. 


Start
where
you
are
genuinely
interested
in
the
shared
experience.
This
is
how
you
wind
up
in
the
right
place
at
the
right
time
to
build
authentic
relationships
and
find
the
right
collaborators. 


You
can
always
expand
into
other
areas
when
you’re
ready.
(Or,
be
daring
and
push
yourself
out
of
your
comfort
zone
before
you
think
you’re
ready!)


5
Tips
For
Sharing
Engaging
Stories


Whether
online
or
in
person,
sharing
personal
anecdotes
that
show
your
humanity
is
much
more
engaging
than
reciting
dry
facts
and
figures
and
listing
accomplishments.
You
genuinely
connect
with
others
when
you
share
stories
demonstrating
your
values,
beliefs,
and
experiences.


  1. Start
    with
    a
    compelling
    hook
    such
    as
    an
    intriguing
    quote,
    bizarre
    juxtaposition,
    or
    unusual
    fact.
    Evoking
    curiosity
    is
    a
    great
    way
    to
    keep
    people’s
    attention.
    (I
    purposefully
    didn’t
    share



    why


    I
    love
    Tony’s
    so
    much
    above.
    I
    wanted
    to
    ratchet
    up
    your
    curiosity.
    You
    can



    find
    out
    here
    .)

  2. Use
    as
    few
    words
    as
    possible.
    Relentlessly
    cut
    tangents
    and
    excess
    details
    as
    appropriate
    for
    the
    forum
    (e.g.,
    in-person
    presentations
    are
    often
    longer
    than
    a
    LinkedIn
    post,
    which
    is
    longer
    than
    a
    tweet). 

  3. The
    heart
    of
    each
    story
    should
    be
    a
    lesson
    relevant
    to
    your
    audience.
    Share
    one,
    three,
    or
    five
    relevant
    life
    or
    work
    lessons,
    depending
    on
    the
    forum.
    As
    interesting
    as
    someone’s
    breakfast
    foods
    may
    be
    to
    them,
    most
    of
    us
    don’t
    want
    to
    hear
    about
    them
    unless
    it
    leads
    to
    an
    eye-opening
    or
    life-confirming
    insight. 

  4. Be
    humble.
    Don’t
    brag
    or
    try
    to
    make
    yourself
    look
    superhuman
    (i.e.,
    avoid
    appearing
    on



    this
    Twitter
    account
    ).
    True
    humility
    comes
    across
    as
    authentic
    and
    trustworthy.
    Stories
    about
    overcoming
    challenges
    are
    especially
    effective.
    Stories
    about
    growing
    from
    failure
    are
    even
    more
    powerful.

  5. Encourage
    engagement.
    One
    of
    my
    favorite
    ways
    to
    end
    a
    story
    is
    with
    a
    question
    about
    the
    reader’s
    perspective
    or
    experience.
    You
    can
    direct
    readers
    to
    another
    story
    or
    ask
    them
    to
    contact
    or
    follow
    you.


Are
you
ready
to
share
your
stories
and
use
networking
via
storytelling
to
transform
your
career?
Visit
LinkedIn



to
connect
with
me


on
this
and
other
legal
career
growth
topics.
(
See
how
I
did
that?
)




Olga MackOlga
V.
Mack
is
the
VP
at




LexisNexis
 and CEO
of 
Parley
Pro
,
a
next-generation
contract
management
company
that
has
pioneered
online
negotiation
technology.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
founded
the 
Women
Serve
on
Boards
 movement
that
advocates
for
women
to
participate
on
corporate
boards
of
Fortune
500
companies.
She
authored 
Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat
Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security
,
and 




Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities
. She
is
working
on
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers,
her
next
book
(ABA
2023).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
Twitter
@olgavmack.