About

Carol Harrison B.Ed. is a storyteller, speaker, writer, teacher,and facilitator who loves to share from her heart one on one or with any size of group.

You can reach Carol via:
email: carol@carolscorer.ca
phone: 306 230 5808

twitter: @CarolHarrison6

Recent Posts

Finding Your Style

style

Style – the word often brings to mind fashion, clothing, home decor. These are all part of style. I have a friend that has a great fashion sense and knows how to pull together an outfit, including accessories on a shoe string budget. She has the same talent when it comes to decorating her home. She is also willing to help her friends, like myself, when I have no idea how to look “put together” when I go out to speak or just out in general. She does not try and make me be like her or anyone else. She simply picks items she believes will suit my complexion, build and personality. Then she makes me try them on! Sometimes the pieces she picks do not work and we discard them and try on another outfit. She has even come over to my house and looked through my closet – putting together pieces I already have for a new look.

When I get compliments on my outfit or the accessories and how everything just goes so well together, I give my friend the credit. I truly appreciate her helping me look my best without breaking my bank account. In the end I am still myself, not a replication of her.

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However, finding your style includes more than your fashion style. It involves finding your own style – the way your personality comes through – in whatever you do. The way I tell a story has all the elements of a good story but it has my unique expressions, movements and voice.

I prepared a speech for a Toastmaster’s contest. I worked hard on this short five to seven minute presentation about how life does not always go as we planned,, hoped or dreamed. I presented it and won the first level. I received some feedback from others and tried to incorporate it all. I changed, polished, practiced until the finished product was the best it could be, or so I thought. At the next level of competition I placed second. I could not understand what went wrong. I received some very positive feedback about how much it meant to some people in the audience which was affirmation about the choice of topic and story I used. My intent had always been to impact the listeners.

My husband gave me his take on my performance. He said I did well but I had tried to make it like I thought everyone expected instead of being myself. I heard this several times from him, including at another workshop presentation. Then I sent some writing to a few people to read and give feedback. Everyone agreed I should continue to edit and revise. It had great potential. But one person said she could not hear my voice in it. I needed to find my style, not someone else’s writing style.

Be myself. Be myself. Be myself. The message kept coming at me from various sources. I heard it. I read it. I knew I needed to listen to it. I needed to trust that God had given me the ability to tell stories that taught people. I needed to trust Him to work when I simply told them in my style. I am a work in progress but trying to stick with my style.

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What is your style? How do you add this to your creative efforts?

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