Honor the time you need to process and heal. If it’s not yet time for you to write or speak about painful parts of your story, there are valuable things for you to do.

And, when other people are part of your story, you need to consider their readiness. You can slow down your own healing process by receiving feedback from too many people before you are ready. Sharing too soon can also hurt you or your loved ones. They can put so much energy into feeling sorry for you that they don’t receive personal benefit from your message. Speaking or writing about painful parts of your story before you’ve processed the pain can hurt your audience. To use our stories as a “powerful tool” rather than a “reckless weapon,” we need to know when we’re ready to share with our audiences-and when we’re not. This push for authenticity can leave us, as writers and speakers, uncertain about how much is too much, too little, or just right to share with our audiences.ĭuring her “Sharing Your Story” session at the Leverage Conference, Michele Cushatt made this convicting statement, “Your story can be a powerful tool or a reckless weapon, whether you intend it to be or not.” “Share your story!” is a popular buzz phrase for communicators these days.

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