Ep 259 - Unlocking Your Story Advantage with guest Bill Blankschaen

Have you ever wondered how your personal story could become a powerful tool for success? 

On this episode of the Quiet and Strong Podcast, host David Hall welcomes bestselling author and StoryBuilders founder Bill Blankschaen for an inspiring conversation about the power of sharing your story. 

You’ll discover why every story (including yours) matters, how thinking and reflection are true superpowers for introverts, and practical strategies for turning your meaningful message into impactful books, talks, and content. 

Learn about common “story traps” that can hold you back, techniques for identifying and reaching your ideal audience, and why collaboration is the secret ingredient to elevating your work.

This episode is perfect for anyone searching for practical tools to amplify their impact through the power of their story. Tune in to gain fresh insights and actionable tips to tell your story with confidence—and be strong.

Episode Link: QuietandStrong.com/259

Bill Blankschaen is the founder and Chief Story Architect of StoryBuilders, a creative team dedicated to helping people live and share meaningful stories. A multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer, Bill has worked with influential leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, and organizations to create books and experiences that inspire impact, influence, and income. Through his work at StoryBuilders, Bill has helped bring stories to life for millions around the world.

Connect with Bill:

Website: MyStoryBuilders.com

Socials: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter/X

Get Books by Bill

Transcript

Bill Blankschaen [00:00:00]:
That was part of the challenge. I was doing good work, helping kids, helping families, help, helping all this. And people would tell me, oh, we love you, we're so glad you're here. We don't know what we'd do without you. You know, you're such a critical piece of this. But inside I'd always thought of myself as a writer. I'd always thought of myself as a storyteller, but I wasn't writing and I wasn't telling stories. Again, I was doing good work, but it wasn't doing what really felt like to me was really at my authentic core.

Bill Blankschaen [00:00:30]:
And so eventually I had to realize I didn't want to look back at the end of my life and regret not having done what I felt I was put here to do. And so eventually I reached the place where I realized someone else could run the school, but no one else could fulfill that kind of sense of calling in my own life. So stepped away from the school. Six kids we went a year with no income as we stepped into the unknown and really just became a student of storytelling.

David Hall [00:01:01]:
Foreign.

David Hall [00:01:06]:
Welcome to episode 259 of the Quiet.

David Hall [00:01:08]:
Strong podcast, especially for introverts. I'm your host David hall, The creator of Quietestrong.com this is a weekly podcast.

David Hall [00:01:15]:
Dedicated to understanding the strengths and needs.

David Hall [00:01:18]:
Of introverts along with strategies for success.

David Hall [00:01:21]:
Introversion is not something to fix, but.

David Hall [00:01:22]:
To be embraced normally. Wear each episode on a Monday. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform, leave a review or rating that would mean a lot to me and also help others find the show, tell a friend about the podcast and help get the word out there that introversion is a beautiful thing.

David Hall [00:01:39]:
Bill Blankshain is the founder and chief.

David Hall [00:01:41]:
Story architect of Story Builders, a creative team of storytellers who share his passion for helping people live a story worth telling them with excellence and genuine high trust relationships. Story Builders tell stories that make the world a better place by creating compelling books and learning experiences that turn ideas into greater impact, influence and Income A Multiple times and USA Today best selling writer Bill and his team work with a variety of influencers like John C. Maxwell and Maxwell Leadership Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank, Lewis Howes, Dean Graziosi, Michael Hyatt, Zig Ziglar and family Jeff Allen, Jason Wilson, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, business coaches and consultants, political figures, cultural voices, athletes, comedians, fitness gurus, psychologists and even faith leaders at some of the largest churches in America. The books, resources and experiences they have created have already impacted millions of people and they're just getting started all right.

David Hall [00:02:53]:
Well, welcome to the Quiet and Strong podcast, Bill. Bill, so good to have you on today.

Bill Blankschaen [00:02:58]:
Good to be here, David. I heard we were having, like, this really outlandish, crazy party, and everybody's going to be yelling and talking, so I'm like, I don't want to go to that.

David Hall [00:03:06]:
Yeah, yeah.

Bill Blankschaen [00:03:08]:
I came here instead.

David Hall [00:03:09]:
Yeah. Yeah. All right, we're going to get into the book that. Your latest book, Bill, but you're also.

David Hall [00:03:16]:
A fellow introvert, you know, and you're.

David Hall [00:03:18]:
On the Quiet and Strong podcast.

David Hall [00:03:19]:
So tell us a little bit about that. Like, when did you figure out that you were an introvert?

Bill Blankschaen [00:03:24]:
Well, that's a great question. You know, I. I remember something happened when I was a, I don't know, teenager, preteen. I was actually in a. In a car with one of my teachers going somewhere. And, you know, when you're in your. In a car or anything like that, a lot of people feel like they need to fill the silence with words. We got to say something to fill the silence.

Bill Blankschaen [00:03:43]:
And there was a time that we didn't talk, and we just drove in silence. And he called it out afterwards. He said, you know, never be afraid to just be silent and think. You don't have to fill the world with speech and noise all the time. He said, in fact, it's a sign of a strong relationship when you don't feel like you have to fill the noise. You can just let the silence be there and you can think of. And that was one of the earliest times that I realized, oh, actually, I. I do prefer to just be silent and think in a lot of those circumstances.

Bill Blankschaen [00:04:17]:
And I often found myself wondering, why won't that person shut up?

Bill Blankschaen [00:04:21]:
Why are they.

Bill Blankschaen [00:04:21]:
Why are they still talking? They're not really saying anything, in my opinion, you know, So I think that was an early time. And then I think for all my life, I've always been a reader, an avid reader, just, just. I could suck up books, you know, Marcus Buckingham, in his strength finder evaluation, one of the themes that he talks about is input. And that's one of my strength themes, as I discovered, was this theme of input. So, you know, I was the crazy kid who was reading the cereal box five times every morning, even though I'd read it before. Just keep reading it, reading it, reading, you know, But I didn't realize it was a strength area until I took that test. And then. And then I realized that my ability to take input, vast amounts of input, and absorb it and think about it and hold it suspended in Midair really was a strength and not everybody had that strength.

Bill Blankschaen [00:05:10]:
And so that was, that was kind of news to me. I just figured everybody could do it if they wanted to. But I began to, I guess incrementally more and more over time realized that, oh, that's part of, for me at least what being an introvert is. And not only am I okay with it, but in fact my greatest superpowers are going to lie beneath whatever that is. And so that, that led me to just again become more of a student of myself and figure out where are the situations where I can put myself into the best possible position to be of, of good to the world.

David Hall [00:05:44]:
Yeah, I love that. So what's the superpower that you have because of introversion?

Bill Blankschaen [00:05:49]:
Yeah, well, one of them is I think, thinking. So it's funny, we were, I was speaking at a, a Lewis Howes summit of Greatness event and they were putting bios together and they were doing kind of a what's your superpower? Kind of thing. And I put in there thinker that, you know, I believe I have the potential to be a world class thinker when I actually give myself the space, give myself the time, cut off the noise and just sit with ideas and sit with these things and allow that creativity to really percolate. A lot of great things come out of that, whether it's intellectual property or book ideas or clarity on things. And so I think that's connected. Obviously thinking is something we all do, but I think for me it's connected to that introversion of giving myself the freedom, permission to be still and silent. Like I have three or four, I call them thinking days that are coming up in the coming weeks that I just take time. I have things I want to think about and that's what I do.

Bill Blankschaen [00:06:51]:
I sit quietly and I think about it. And out of that comes clarity then to take, take action. So I think, I think that's definitely one of the superpowers that has fueled so much of what I do.

David Hall [00:07:03]:
Yeah, I love that. And it's a matter of, like you said, sometimes we take our strengths for granted. We think, well, everybody can do this. But the powers that you have for thinking and reflecting, they're definitely introvert gifts that we have. And we need to understand that, you know, we're. I'm not going to talk all the time. I'm very confident person. But I'm realizing that I do want to think about things and our minds are always going too and, and you know, there's a myth that we bust on this show that introverts don't have much to say.

David Hall [00:07:37]:
But, yeah, we have a lot to say because we're always thinking, sure, yeah.

Bill Blankschaen [00:07:42]:
Yeah, we have a lot to say. And I think if there were a myth that I would bust, it was it would be the connection between confidence and intro version. Well, I think it goes two ways. What I have seen. One, people often assume that introverts lack confidence, otherwise they'd be more vocal, they'd put some more stuff out there, and that's simply not true. I personally find it much more helpful to actually think first and process and then say something that's relevant and helpful and valuable. John Maxwell used to talk about the law of E.F. hutton, and essentially that law was when the real leader speaks, people listen.

Bill Blankschaen [00:08:25]:
And so to me, that always resonated with me as an introvert of, all right, I'm not just going to be talking all the time, but when I do talk, I hope it has something of value that's going to matter to people that will make a difference in the conversation. And I think people who know me have given me that feedback before. Like, you don't talk a lot, but when you do talk, it's really good and we want to hear it and it matters to us. The other side of that myth, though, I think, is this idea that, that if someone isn't talking, then they must be thinking deep thoughts. They must have a lot of wisdom. They must really be, you know, intelligent. And I have found equally that might be true, but also might not be true.

David Hall [00:09:06]:
Right, right, right, right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:09:08]:
They might indeed just be somebody that might be an extrovert that's lacking confidence. I mean, what. You know, so it. I think all of it kind of goes past. You got to work past the labels and actually get to know people. And some of that just takes time.

David Hall [00:09:21]:
Right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:09:22]:
There is no quick shortcut of, oh, you're an introvert, Therefore all these 45 things are true about you.

David Hall [00:09:27]:
Well, right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:09:28]:
Maybe 12 are, maybe 13 are. I mean, it just kind of depends on. On the person and their personality.

David Hall [00:09:34]:
Yeah. And it's. It's.

David Hall [00:09:37]:
So we have many different personality traits and factors. I focus on introversion, extroversion, because there's so much misunderstanding.

Bill Blankschaen [00:09:45]:
Sure.

David Hall [00:09:45]:
But, you know, as we get to know each other, Bill, I'm sure we would have a lot in common, but then there'd be other gifts. You know, like you mentioned, you have input in the strengths finder. Cliftonstrengths. That's not one of my top five, you know, and so you Know I'm gonna have a different top five.

Bill Blankschaen [00:10:02]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:10:02]:
Also on the EF Hutton thing, that's where the name of this show came from. Not E.F. hutton, but just like you said, sometimes people say to me, like, somebody told me you are quiet and strong, you know, basically saying you're not talking a lot, but when you talk, people listen. And that's where the name of the show came from. Just like the old commercial.

Bill Blankschaen [00:10:22]:
Yeah, I, I, yeah, exactly. I had somebody tell me not long ago who were just getting to know me. We were at an event and they, they said, you know, you have, I just sent, you have like the wisdom of Solomon. And as I, as I reflect, first I was flattered, but then as I reflected, I was like, well, maybe I do, maybe I don't. You don't really know yet. So I wouldn't, I wouldn't jump to that conclusion yet. Be a little more cautious before going there. So.

Bill Blankschaen [00:10:50]:
All right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:10:51]:
Preconceptions can always, always get us in trouble. I will say this though. I think one of the things that really helped me move from introversion as more shyness to introversion and confident was, you know, I had, I spent 10, maybe 12 years in, in retail. Right. So retail, small business, retail, interacting with people constantly. And I think that helped me quite a bit to understand, all right. Even if I don't, as an introvert, feel like interacting with people, it helped help me develop the learned behaviors of how do I engage with people anyways and still not get totally depleted and still maintain that introversion. So I think some of it for me just comes through the hard 10 or 12 years of actually being day to day interacting with people.

Bill Blankschaen [00:11:44]:
You have to interact with people in retail and still trying to protect that ability to think and, and all the other stuff that goes with introversion and, and recharge. I mean, that's really what to me, introversion is really about. How do you recharge?

David Hall [00:12:00]:
Yeah.

Bill Blankschaen [00:12:00]:
And, and maintaining that, I need, I need quiet time. I need my own thinking time to recharge.

David Hall [00:12:07]:
Yeah. And with all that, it's. We can be wildly successful, but our path to success may look different from an extroverted friend or colleague.

Bill Blankschaen [00:12:15]:
Sure.

David Hall [00:12:17]:
So, Bill, we're going to talk about your book about story.

David Hall [00:12:20]:
Tell us your story.

David Hall [00:12:21]:
How did you get to the place where you're doing this work you're doing today?

Bill Blankschaen [00:12:24]:
Well, I think it connects with everything we've talked about so far as we've talked about this. It really was about my journey to figure out who I am and make sure. Try to figure out, am I investing my life and my time in developing that. So for many years, after my years in retail, I helped start a private school up in Ohio and was leading that for a dozen years. And I was doing good work. That was part of the challenge. I was doing good work, helping kids, helping families, helping all this. And people would tell me, oh, we love you.

Bill Blankschaen [00:12:54]:
We're so glad you're here. We don't know what we'd do without you. You're such a critical piece of this. But inside, I had always thought of myself as a writer. I'd always thought of myself as a storyteller. But I wasn't writing and I wasn't telling stories again, I was doing good work, but it wasn't doing what really felt like to me was really at my authentic core. And so eventually I had to realize I didn't want to look back at the end of my life and regret not having done what I felt I was put here to do. And so eventually I reached the place where I realized someone else could run the school, but no one else could fulfill that kind of sense of calling in my own life.

Bill Blankschaen [00:13:35]:
So stepped away from the school, six kids we went a year with no income as we stepped into the unknown and really just became a student of storytelling because I never worked harder in my life in that year putting book proposals together, meeting with every expert in the industry and publishing and the book space and messaging storytelling space, and as I said, just becoming a student of the art and science of storytelling. And I remember there was one time this would be a good introvert story here because I remember there was a time that I was sitting in the backyard. It was an Ohio spring day. The birds were chirping, sun shining, light breezes blowing. It's just beautiful day on the outside and on the inside I'm sitting there with a pen and a paper wrestling with this book idea on one hand. And the fear of, are we going to end up living under a highway bridge somewhere out of cardboard box, the six kids, is this going to work? So it's not going to work. What's this going to look like? How am I going to explain to my kids when all this fails and it doesn't? All those sense of fears just flooding on me. It kind of felt like I was sitting in the middle of.

Bill Blankschaen [00:14:44]:
At the bottom of a hill, in the middle of the road. And barreling down toward me was this 18 wheeler loaded with steel, with no brakes. It was just coming at me and all I could do was do what I felt like I was called to do, like, just keep writing. And so I did. And actually that book idea I was working on at that time became the first book that I wrote, picked up by a publisher, wrote the book. Other people were like, hell, can you help me write my book? And I began helping them and realized I'm actually really good at this. And out of that came this vision for story builders, which is we're now entering our 12th year now, where we've worked with everybody, big names from Lewis Howes and John Maxwell and Dean Graziosi and all these other people to people who are just starting out and building a brand and putting the pieces and parts together and everywhere in between. And that's really what it comes down to.

Bill Blankschaen [00:15:33]:
I think. I think my lesson out of that was that my breakthrough began when I started with my story, like, starting with my authentic story. Who I am, who I'm trying to be. What does that look like? Really lean into that. And that's what I believe for everybody listening, is that your breakthrough begins when you're willing and courageous enough to start with your own story and have confidence that your story does matter and that it can do a lot of good in the world if you tell it well and share that with the world.

David Hall [00:16:04]:
Yeah, absolutely. So let's talk about your book. I'm going to read the whole thing here. Your story, Advantage A proven path to maximize your impact, influence and income. So what is the message of your book?

Bill Blankschaen [00:16:17]:
I think that my meaningful message is what I call this, this kind of core message is that every story matters. And I think so often we, whether we're entrepreneurs, business professionals, thought leaders, aspiring thought leaders, we fail to realize the advantage every one of us, each one of us already has that we have in our story. And by story, I don't just mean what's happened to you. What's. What's. What are the events of your life, but. But not just what's happened, but what are the lessons you've learned? What's the wisdom you've gained from that? What are. What is the.

Bill Blankschaen [00:16:51]:
What are the ideas that you've packaged up in ways that people resonate with? Because we're in such a unique time where it's never been easier to maximize that impact, that influence and that income due to technology. But so many people are just sitting on the sidelines, not really engaged in it, because they don't see the advantage that they already have because no one else has your story. You know, wisdom, literature. The Bible elsewhere says there's nothing new under the sun. And yet there is something new under the sun. You're new under the sun no one else has ever had. Your experiences, your unique credentials and failures and all that kind of stuff that's never happened before. And so when people realize that they do in fact, have an advantage with.

Bill Blankschaen [00:17:36]:
They're able to lean into their story, then the book is all about, all right, how do I help you actually do that? How do you take advantage of that? What kind of systems and structures can you put around that to build something that can really make a difference?

David Hall [00:17:48]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:17:49]:
What do you say to that person that doesn't think they have a worthwhile story?

Bill Blankschaen [00:17:53]:
Well, the first thing I would tell them to do is read chapter one of the book.

David Hall [00:17:55]:
Okay.

Bill Blankschaen [00:17:56]:
Because I think that would help tremendously because that person has probably fallen into one of the common story traps, I call them. And maybe that first one is the confidence trap, which is. The reality is we tend to deify others and diminish ourselves. And I think a lot of people fall into that. We think, oh, David, well, man, his story is crazy. That's just. Wow. Of course he's got a story to tell.

Bill Blankschaen [00:18:20]:
But me, I don't have a story. I don't have anything. This just happened the other day. I was talking to my wife, and she was talking about another mother that she was helping with. You know, we've had six kids. We've done traditional school. We've done homeschool. We've got.

Bill Blankschaen [00:18:33]:
She's got just a ton of expertise. And this other friend of hers had a situation, and my wife just immediately said, oh, hey, you need to think about this and this and that dumped this expertise on her. And I stopped and I said, you know, that's your story advantage right there. You just shared expertise. You aren't even conscious that you have it, and it just comes pouring out of you. So I think that happens a lot when we think of other people have it. I don't. And then there are moments when we actually use it, and people realize, oh, that has great value to me.

Bill Blankschaen [00:19:05]:
I'm so glad you shared that. I think sometimes we think if my story doesn't appeal to everyone, then it's no good for anyone. And in fact, it's just the opposite. The more focused you get in your story, the more it's going to resonate powerfully with certain people and not with everybody else. And that's okay, right? Because you're not. If you try to hit, if you try to appeal to everyone, you'll appeal to no one. So I think one of the first things then is the confidence trap, just having the confidence to share it. And that kind of connects with the normalcy trap, which is we tend to dismiss the value of our story because it's normal to us, because we know it.

Bill Blankschaen [00:19:42]:
It feels. Of course, other people have the ability to do this or they have this expertise, but they don't. And they're actually looking for it. And in many cases, they're willing and able to pay for it.

Bill Blankschaen [00:19:54]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:19:55]:
So you talk about this in the book as well. You could set out to make a book that everybody would read, but that's not really going to be the reality. You know, how do we find our audience?

Bill Blankschaen [00:20:07]:
Well, there's a whole process that I go through in the book, but I think the ideal audience. Let me borrow from what I call the ideal audience question. This is a fundamental question that I encourage everybody at the beginning of any book project, beginning of their brand story, anything like that, they need to ask this question. And that is who really needs to hear what I have to say. And I think it might be helpful to think about it as three expanding circles. So the circle at the center, think of that as the core audience. Those are the people who, you know, think about. These are the people who live on my street, as it were.

Bill Blankschaen [00:20:43]:
They're like my neighbors. They're really close to me. But then there are other people that I call the secondary audience. Those are people. Maybe they're in your neighborhood. They're, you know, maybe a couple streets away or a few blocks away. They're sort of in the neighborhood, but they're not really your neighbors, but they're nearby. And then there's the general audience, which is like, all right, everywhere else in the city, that's where those people are.

Bill Blankschaen [00:21:05]:
And I think a lot of people start with, I want to. I want to. My audience is the city. Instead of thinking, no, no, I gotta. I gotta niche down. And not even just my neighborhood, I need to figure out the neighborhood. But then who are the people that are actually on my street? Who are the people that I really want to connect with, that are going to connect powerfully with me? And they fail to realize that by doing that, they actually accelerate and expand the potential for their connection to more people. They actually get deeper connections and more powerful transformation can take place.

Bill Blankschaen [00:21:35]:
And those people then will tell other people, who will tell other people. And you speak. See that impact expanding. So I think the ideal audience, finding your audience, really, that component of it begins there. There's more to the process to figuring it out. Exactly. In fact, I would. I would back up.

Bill Blankschaen [00:21:52]:
I think it really begins with figuring out what your meaningful message is first, what the message is you want to share, and then who is the audience that will really resonate with that.

David Hall [00:22:01]:
Okay.

David Hall [00:22:02]:
Do you have anything more to say about finding your meaningful message?

Bill Blankschaen [00:22:06]:
Well, you know, I think a lot of people know it already. I give some practical guidance in the book about how to do this, but the meaningful message is what you're really passionate about. It's something that matters, that makes a difference to the world. Like I said, my meaningful message is every story matters. And that isn't something that I just woke up and one day and was like, oh, there it is. You know, it just dropped from heaven into my. Into my notebook or something like that. It develops over time, but I do think there's a process to go through.

Bill Blankschaen [00:22:35]:
I actually take people through a process in my you story Advantage Academy, which is a whole course that supports the book. Take them through a whole process where they can really sort through that and figure it out. But I think a lot of us already know it, and we've had other people tell us they already know it. I mean, you're a great example of this, David. You've had people tell you who you are as an introvert, and you've actually named the podcast after that. Right. So you have a passion about this. Right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:22:59]:
It's something that I would imagine based on your own story, if we were to unpack your story, there's one or several events in your life that were really key pivot points that opened you up to this message, and you've seen the power of it. You want other people to feel the power of it. And, and, and what that means, too, is that not everybody's going to resonate with the message that you put out there. You know, some people are going to listen to your podcast, be like, this is boring, man. I want. I want to party. But other people are going to be, oh, finally, somebody gets me. You know, those are the people living in your neighborhood, as it were.

Bill Blankschaen [00:23:36]:
Right. So, yeah, I think meaningful message is often much simpler than we try to make it be, because we're often thinking, is it meaningful to someone else? Rather than, is it meaningful to me?

David Hall [00:23:48]:
Me?

Bill Blankschaen [00:23:48]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:23:49]:
What other steps do you walk through with? Somebody has their meaningful message. How do you then turn it into a book or other content?

Bill Blankschaen [00:23:59]:
Well, you know, we have our storytelling structure that we use for crafting any. Any content. But I would say when we work on a book, with somebody. So here's, there's, there's several foundational questions that we walk people through. So why don't we just walk through some of them right now? That'll be, I think, helpful for people. The first one we call the story focus question. The story focus question is, and this really isn't just for a book. This could be used in a keynote, this could be used in a podcast, this could be used in whatever content you're trying to create.

Bill Blankschaen [00:24:34]:
But essentially, the story focused question is, hey, if someone were to read your book or keynote or podcast, if someone were to read your book and then forget 99% of everything that they just read, they close the COVID they walk away. Blank slate, it's all gone except for one thing. One thing stuck with them. They walked away. Their lives were different in this one way. What would you want that one thing to be? And it's almost uncanny, when I've asked people that question, it often doesn't take much thought for them to think, oh, one thing. Oh, that would have to be this. If they forget everything.

Bill Blankschaen [00:25:13]:
Like, when I talk about, you know, every story matters, right? That to me, that comes naturally. But, you know, if we talk about my own book, your story advantage, right? I want it to be, well, you. Yet you in fact have an advantage. And that breakthrough begins when you lean into that advantage. And that's the power of it begins to unpack that. So I think that's the first question, the story focus question. What's the one thing? Second question is the ideal audience question. We already talked about that.

Bill Blankschaen [00:25:39]:
How to find your ideal audience. The third question is we call it the story strategy question. And the story strategy question encourages people to take a couple steps back. Often people get so excited about, I want to write a book or I want to do this, I want to do that. They want to act, act, act. And maybe this is where the introversion comes in. I don't know, David, but I encourage people. All right, step back and ask this question.

Bill Blankschaen [00:26:03]:
How does this book fit within the bigger picture of what you're trying to build? This is kind of a callback to Stephen Covey's Begin with the End in mind. Let's take a step back, and where are we going with this? And how does this fit? Because sometimes it doesn't. And people need to realize maybe you shouldn't be writing a book about this because you don't really have a plan for it. But understanding that strategy, so if you get clear on that one thing, that becomes your spear point. You get Clear on who you're talking to. That becomes your focus. Put those together. Now you have a bigger strategy that you're putting in place, and that sets people up for another foundational question, which is the coffee shop question.

Bill Blankschaen [00:26:48]:
The coffee shop question is such a powerful question. It really gets at to the idea of intellectual property. And as an introvert, I light up at this idea because this is all about how do you monetize ideas that you have, your intellectual property. You could really begin to get at it by asking the coffee shop question, which is, hey, if I were to meet with you, let's just. David, if I were to meet with you, if I were to come to you, or you were to meet with me and you were helping me solve the problem that you helped solve, what steps would you take me through in order to do that? What would that conversation look like? We just met up for coffee, we're just hanging out. It's very casual. How would you help me solve whatever problem it is that you naturally solve? And what I have found is that when you frame it that way, people realize I've already been doing this in conversations I've already had. I've already been guiding people through a process or steps, or these are the principles you need to understand, or this is how you do what you do.

Bill Blankschaen [00:27:49]:
And they begin to do that. And what they need to do at that stage is just get it out. Like just dump it all out there. Don't try to organize it or make it fancy or pretty. Just share what is it that you go through with people. And that is, I think, the beginning of that intellectual property. It's also the beginning of the core content of a book. It's the beginning of the core content of a message, any of those things that they go through.

Bill Blankschaen [00:28:13]:
So that's some of the core foundational questions. And of course, in the book, we walk you at a deeper level through all of that.

Bill Blankschaen [00:28:19]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:28:19]:
And of course, it could be a book. It could be a book and a lot of other things. What are all the platforms that this can apply to?

Bill Blankschaen [00:28:30]:
Well, I have yet to find one where it doesn't apply.

David Hall [00:28:34]:
Yeah, right.

Bill Blankschaen [00:28:35]:
Books is certainly one we focus a lot on helping individuals, organizations tell their brand story. Like what's the story that they're sharing with the world about who they are and who they serve and those bringing that level of clarity, eliminating friction. Books, of course, when we get into monetizing and we did digital courses, they come from that membership programs, workshops, trainings, experiences like that, coaching programs, consulting pathways. Those are Just some of the easier ones. Speaking, you know, getting on a stage, keynoting. All of this stuff applies to the same. Because it's all built on classic storytelling techniques. Things that we naturally resonate with, with as, as humans.

Bill Blankschaen [00:29:17]:
Right. We've been doing this for thousands and thousands of years. These same elements are classic. And when we lean into them and allow them to do their work, that's when we, we. It's like again, it's like we eliminate the friction, things flow smoother, we connect with people easier. And I got to say, especially for introverts, telling a story well just is it reduces the amount of lift that we have to do in a conversation or any kind of relationship.

David Hall [00:29:44]:
Yeah. And I like how you said that, that we're built on stories. We have been experiencing stories for thousands of years.

Bill Blankschaen [00:29:51]:
Yeah.

David Hall [00:29:51]:
So talk to us a little bit more about that. What is the. I mean, I know we've been talking about it throughout, but just talk a little bit more about the power of stories.

Bill Blankschaen [00:30:01]:
Yeah, I think, I think there's something wired within us that, you know, connects to, that's drawn to stories and storytelling. And I think there's several reasons for that. One is, you know, this one comes more from my faith than anything else. And that is, I think God is the ultimate storyteller. And we are almost sub storyteller. You know, we get to participate in the bigger story for a little while that we're here on Earth. I think that that's part of it, but I think there's also. We like to see how things fit in context, you know, so as humans, we like to see how does this fit in with the overarching story of my life and how I am interpreting real.

Bill Blankschaen [00:30:45]:
And so if we find random bits of facts or figures or principles or stuff that are like floating out there, we immediately are trying to put them into a context anyways. And so when, when we as the person sharing whatever it is, the message we're sharing, essentially what we're doing is we're providing a service to people to help them. We're giving them the story context, giving them some context in which this can get plugged in and make sense in their lives. Because if you gotta remember, most people we connect with, they don't have any additional connection with us. I like to talk about this, the book communication cycle. Typically when communication takes place, I have an idea and then I express it in some way to you, David, let's say. And then, David, you listen to that, you process it, and then you give me feedback. All right, this is what I thought I heard you say.

Bill Blankschaen [00:31:35]:
And the feedback can be verbal, it can be non verbal. And then I, then I can take that feedback and correct it or say something different or those kind of things. Of course, in a book you don't get any feedback. It's a one way conversation that assumes a two way conversation is taking place. So it takes a lot of work to get it right. But it isn't just in a book. I think whether it be social media or anything that we're putting out there into the world, a website, whatever, we usually are not getting feedback. It usually actually is a one way conversation.

Bill Blankschaen [00:32:06]:
And so, you know, having that storytelling context of helping people understand how does this fit into a classic storyline that you're familiar with? And I like to talk about the connection continuum, which is you want a story that is not too fresh, that is unknown or never heard of before, but also not too familiar. Right. Because if it's too fresh, people generally have a disconnect. It's so new that we don't really know what to do with that. We don't have a category for that kind of story. On the other hand, if it's too familiar, then that produces the idea that it's almost like a duplication. We've heard this one before, there's nothing new here. And so it's somewhere in the middle that just.

Bill Blankschaen [00:32:51]:
Right. Feel that we then are drawn in. It's not too fresh, it's not too familiar. It's a little bit of both. And it's told in a way that connects with this classic storyline that we're used to and it pulls us in.

David Hall [00:33:03]:
Yeah. So with all these different platforms and stories, it just like you're saying, it starts with the meaningful message.

Bill Blankschaen [00:33:12]:
Well, it should. Yeah. I mean, and you. Well, we all know there are people out there on social and elsewhere who frankly, I'm not sure what their message is. They're just famous for being famous. And you know, from month to month, year to year, their message might shift and change or if they even have one. Right. And I think that is a, that's a bit of a curse of our day, is that people can become famous just for being famous and they don't really have anything worthwhile to say.

Bill Blankschaen [00:33:39]:
And ultimately I think that's, that's a destructive. When we're seeing the rise of that and then younger people are growing up thinking that's what I need to do in order to become well known and liked and so forth. But I believe to have a lasting Sustainable impact. You've got to have a core, meaningful message, something that you really resonates with you. You think that matters, that makes the world a better place. You've given some thought to it, you've honed it, you've worked on it over the years and. And people that are impacted by. We mentioned Stephen Covey a minute ago.

Bill Blankschaen [00:34:10]:
I mean, there's somebody who devoted decades and decades and decades to really becoming a student of this process of how do you become the best version of you that you can be? And developing not just the seven habits, but all this other stuff around it. And I just think of the ripple effect that he had. Of course, he's been gone for, I think, 13 years now, but his impact is still being felt and will be for decades to come.

David Hall [00:34:35]:
Yeah, I was thinking that very thing. It's like his impact is going on. And most people quote those things begin with the end in mind, you know, or sharpen the saw. People quote those things still. And like you said, he's been gone.

David Hall [00:34:50]:
For some time now.

Bill Blankschaen [00:34:51]:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And he wasn't good. The same one there. He did keynotes, he did workshops, he did trainings. You know, they didn't have digital courses a lot when he was doing it, but he did, you know, all these other ways that he could share it and monetize it. And it really wasn't even about monetizing with him or people like Zig Ziglar and others, you know, names like that, they were more wired about impact. How do I have the greatest impact? And I. And I do believe that when you focus on how do you have the greatest impact? How do I serve the most people? The money will take care of itself.

Bill Blankschaen [00:35:23]:
Not accidentally, but when you really have a heart for impact, others are drawn to you. That then resonate with that heart for impact, and they're able to. I think that's when you're really able to make a difference and lean into the. That's why I always begin with that meaningful message.

David Hall [00:35:40]:
Absolutely. So, Bill, I told you before we hit record, I've really been enjoying your book. And for the listeners out there, the audiobook is well done also. So what else do you want to say about your book that we haven't covered already?

Bill Blankschaen [00:35:54]:
You know, I would say, as well as, you know, there's a chapter toward the end that really is about almost like the secret sauce to all this. And it's somewhat built on my own experience, you know, building all this for the last 12, 13 years. One of the things that I have learned is that if you want to elevate, you must collaborate. And often, especially as introverts, I think we tend to think, I can do it myself or I need to do it myself. Because we're so focused inward, I think we have to intentionally focus, allow others to speak into it and depend on others to get it done. But anything worth doing is going to take a team, it's going to take other people with expertise. And I've seen this happen a lot where people have a meaningful message, but then they try to do everything themselves and they can only go so far. They bump up against that, that, that leadership lid, as Maxwell called it.

Bill Blankschaen [00:36:47]:
And so that, that's one of the big things I would, I would say, and I have a whole chapter on it, of the value of it and how to do it and what, who you need to do it and all that kind of stuff. But I think that, to me is the biggest game changer of if you want to, if you want a 10x instead of 2x, as, as Ben Hardy and Sullivan say, you know, if you want to, if you want a 10x instead of 2x, you've got to elevate by collaboration. It's through collaboration. It's finding people who can help you go to the next level. Because it, it's hard to, it's hard to often visualize the elevation that's possible through collaboration until you collaborate and begin to see, oh, we could go higher than I ever thought we could go by working with someone else in doing or someone's else, and to do these things that I want to do. So I would say that's one of the ones that's most easily overlooked. Someone thinks, oh, I have a story advantage and, oh, I got to do it all myself. No, no, no, no, no.

Bill Blankschaen [00:37:43]:
You, you, you do, you, you do your strength, but lean into other people who have other strengths, and through that collaboration, then some really powerful stuff can take place.

David Hall [00:37:51]:
Yeah, absolutely. And we talk so much about strengths on this show. We all have our own. And I think it's, I think it's built like that for a reason. We do depend on each other. Nobody has all the strengths.

Bill Blankschaen [00:38:05]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It, it, you have to have that collaboration. And when you, when you do, that's just the beauty of it. When you do, you're allowing someone else's strengths to shine. Right. And, and by the way, I want to be clear. I think I even say this in the book. It isn't like, just bring somebody on and then forget about them and let them do whatever they want to do.

Bill Blankschaen [00:38:25]:
No, no, no. That doesn't relieve us of the responsibility in, in leading and coordinating all that, but it opens up possibilities for, for to reach new heights that we never even imagined were possible with our story.

David Hall [00:38:39]:
Yeah, Bill, this has been a wonderful and inspiring conversation. Where can people find out more about you and your book and the work that you do?

Bill Blankschaen [00:38:48]:
Yeah, well, I mean, the book YourStoryAdvantage.com is they can go there or anywhere good books are sold and get a copy of the book. We've also got a ton of bonuses though@yourstoryadvantage.com that are all free. So they can get a whole bunch of things there that will help in all this effort, including a number of free resources that have some great tools for them. But if they want to have a conversation, frankly about hey, I've got a book or I've got a story I'm trying to tell or develop my personal brand or anything like that, they can just go to my storybuilders.com story mystorybuilders.com story and just book time to talk to us. There's no obligation or pressure. I mean, we're all a bunch of introverts over here, you know, so we're, we, we love stories. We'd love to be able to talk with them. And of course, they can always Visit us@mystorybuilders.com and find out more about who we are and what we do.

David Hall [00:39:39]:
Sounds great.

David Hall [00:39:39]:
Thanks again, Bill.

Bill Blankschaen [00:39:41]:
Oh, you're very welcome, David. My pleasure.

Bill Blankschaen [00:39:43]:
Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate you. I hope you take the time to explore other episodes and learn from other amazing guests. Remember, if you're interested in getting to know yourself better, there is now a free type finder personality assessment on the Quiet and Strong website.

David Hall [00:39:59]:
This free assessment will give you a.

Bill Blankschaen [00:40:01]:
Brief report including the four letter Myers Briggs code. I'll add a link in the show notes and I'd love to connect with you. Reach out to daviduyandstrong.com or check out the quietandstrong.com website which includes blog posts and links to social media for quiet and strong and much more. Send me topics or guests you would like to see on the show.

David Hall [00:40:23]:
So many great things about being an.

Bill Blankschaen [00:40:24]:
Introvert and so we need those to be understood. Get to know your introverted strengths and needs and be strong.