BIOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE

It is a nonfiction account of life. In this type of writing, another person is described

through the eyes of the writer. It is one of many types of narrative writing that relies on
concrete details, images, spoken words, sensory description, and actions. Through these
narrative elements, writer’s illuminate or chronicle perceptions of a memorable person.

 Writing a Biographical Narrative

Find someone of interest that was or is currently in your life.

 1st Paragraph
Write about the significance of this person in your life. Who is it? What relation, if any?
Explain the usual information about them so the reader gets a good well-rounded picture of
them.

 2nd Paragraph
Why did you choose this person? What did this person do that makes him/her a significant
person in your life? You’ll need to provide the information and/or incident that illustrates and
describes why you chose them.

 3rd Paragraph
What sort of impact has this person had on your life? Again, you may use an incident/event
that helps you illustrate a particular point.

 4th Paragraph
Conclusion.

Consider point of view, voice, and tone to communicate scenes that illustrate the subject’s
importance. Your essay may be written in first person, third person, or from an omniscient
point of view. The narrative conveys the significance of the person, place, or event.

 Strategies for Developing a Narrative

 Characterization
1. Concrete details that create visual imagery.
2. Description of subject’s immediate environment, workplace, or living place.
3. Description of subject’s routines, habits, or typical activities.
4. Use of dialogue, sayings, or verbal expressions.
5. Comparison or contrast to other people.
6. Assertions or generalizations about the subject’s character based on his or her actions.

 Incident(s) to Support Characterization

1. Orienting reader to the incident (time, place, and context).
2. Using dialogue that moves the action.
3. Naming people, objects, quantities, or numbers.
4. Describing specific narrative action (movement, gestures, or expressions).
5. Building tension through surprise or suspense.

 Significance
1. Stating the significance explicitly
2. Giving a history of the relationship between the writer and the subject.
3. Describing incidents that implicitly reveal the importance of that person.
4. Presenting details about the subject in such a way that the significance is clearly
conveyed.

 Tone
1. Using language that evokes a sense of the writer’s attitude toward the subject.
2. Selecting details that convey a sense of the person’s significance.

 Organization
1. Developing the incident chronologically.
2. Developing through a sequence of related anecdotes.
 BIOGRAPHY

 bios meaning life + graphein meaning writing

A narrative of a person’s life written by someone else, in contrast to an autobiography
which is the chronicle of a person’s life written by the author himself of herself
According to William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman’s A Handbook to Literature
(Seventh Edition), “In England, the word biography first came into use with Dryden, who,
in 1683 called it ‘the history of particular men’s lives.’
An accurate presentation of the life history from birth to death of an individual, along with
an effort to interpret the life so as to offer a unified impression of the subject.

 Full-length biography

Typically covers the entirety of the featured person’s existence, covering all the
significant events surrounding his or her life from womb to tomb, and usually includes a
family tree and a chronology of milestones in its appendices to further guide potential readers
of the book
An ideal full-length biographer must have the necessary patience and stamina, as well
as the clear vision and powerful imagination, to reconstruct or put together a more or less
truthful narrative of the subject’s life, which includes his or her hopes and wishes, as well as
fears and apprehensions

 Popular biography

It refers to the life story of a famous and/or successful person― a show business
personality, a professional athlete, a business tycoon, a political leader, a fashion celebrity, a
reigning monarch, or even a serial killer― which is meant for popular or mass consumption
The main purpose of the popular biographer is to disclose or reveal to the most number
of people the personal tale of the public figure he or she intends to immortalize; he or she also
tends to focus on the main action of the narrative as well as the nitty-gritty details, and to forgo
the creation of mood and atmosphere, and the other elements that differentiate him or her from
a literary or historical biographer.

Example:

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

“I remember sitting in his backyard in his garden, one day, and he started talking about
God. He [Jobs] said, “Sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don’t. I think it’s 50/50,
maybe. But ever since I’ve had cancer, I’ve been thinking about it more, and I find myself
believing a bit more, maybe it’s because I want to believe in an afterlife, that when you die, it
doesn’t just all disappear. The wisdom you’ve accumulated, somehow it lives on.”

Steve Jobs is one of the most famous cultural icons of modern-day America and, indeed,
around the world, and thus his biography was eagerly awaited. The author, Walter Isaacson,
was able to interview Jobs extensively during the writing process. Thus, the above excerpt is
possible where the writer is a character in the story himself, asking Jobs about his views on
life and philosophy of the world.

 Literary biography

Not necessarily intended for popular or mass consumption, so it need not to cater to the
common people’s fondness for gossip, rumor, and hearsay.
A narrative of the life of a literary writer written by another literary writer.
Concerned in sharing poetic truths.

Examples:

Shakespeare: A Life by Park Honan

It is the most accurate, up-to-date and complete narrative ever written about the life of
Shakespeare. Park Honan has used rich and fresh information about Shakespeare in order to
change the perceptions of the readers for the playwright and his role as a poet and actor. This
book completely differs from other biographies that imagine different roles for him,
commenting on his sexual relationships and colorful intrigues. Though detailed psychological
theories and imaginative reforms about him could be amusing, in fact, they damage credibility
of the sources. Therefore, many attempts have been made to know about him, which is not a
new thing but this one is a unique example.

Arthur Miller: Attention Must Be Paid by James Campbell

This biography is written in the form of a drama presented in just two acts. In the first act,
author shows the famous dramatist in his early success, having love of the most beloved
woman of the world and resistance to tyranny. However, in the second act of this biography,
author shows hero was badly assaulted and ridiculed by a rowdy mob called critics, who are
expelled from the conventional theater. He ends his book “Arthur Miller” with rhetorical
details related to a revitalization in the fortunes of the playwright.
  Historical biography

A narrative of the existence of a historical figure written by another writer, usually a

historian, who is interested not only in the personal circumstances and historic events that
have shaped his or her subject, but also on how his or her subject has shaped history in return
Concerned in revealing historical facts.

Examples:

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

“A commanding woman versed in politics, diplomacy, and governance; fluent in nine

languages; silver-tongued and charismatic, Cleopatra nonetheless seems the joint creation of
Roman propagandists and Hollywood directors.”

Stacy Schiff wrote a new biography of Cleopatra in 2010 in order to divide fact from
fiction, and go back to the amazing and intriguing personality of the woman herself.
In Cleopatra: A Life, Schiff strips away the accretions of myth that have built up around the
Egyptian queen and plucks off the imaginative embroiderings of Shakespeare, Shaw and
Elizabeth Taylor. The biography was very well received for being both scrupulously
referenced as well as highly literary and imaginative.

Mary Wollstonecraft
Philosopher, Journalist, Activist, Scholar, Educator, Women's Rights Activist (1759–1797)

Feminist writer and intellectual Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759, in
Spitalfields, London. Her father was abusive and spent his somewhat sizable fortune on a
series of unsuccessful ventures in farming. Perturbed by the actions of her father and by her
mother’s death in 1780, Wollstonecraft set out to earn her own livelihood. In 1784, Mary, her
sister Eliza and her best friend, Fanny, established a school in Newington Green. From her
experiences teaching, Wollstonecraft wrote the pamphlet Thoughts on the Education of
Daughters (1787).
When her friend Fanny died in 1785, Wollstonecraft took a position as governess for
the Kingsborough family in Ireland. Spending her time there to mourn and recover, she
eventually found she was not suited for domestic work. Three years later, she returned to
London and became a translator and an adviser to Joseph Johnson, a noted publisher of radical
texts. When Johnson launched the Analytical Review in 1788, Mary became a regular
contributor. Within four years, she published her most famous work, A Vindication of the
Rights of Woman (1792). In the work, she clearly abhors prevailing notions that women are
helpless adornments of a household. Instead, she states that society breeds "gentle domestic
brutes” and that a confined existence makes women frustrated and transforms them into
tyrants over their children and servants. The key, she purports, is educational reform, giving
women access to the same educational opportunities as men.

Following her death in 1797, her husband, William Godwin, published ‘Memoirs’
narrating her life and works. With the advent of the feminist movement, many budding writers
like Emma Goldman and Virginia Woolf, began embracing her ideologies. Wollstonecraft’s
works returned to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s during the second wave of the feminist
movement. Six books were published on her life and works which influenced Ayaan Hirsi
Ali, a political writer and later, Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen.

 Fictional Biography

A genre wherein an author writes an account of a person's life where that person is
actually a fictional character.

Example:

Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street by William S. Baring-Gould (1962)

Arguably the culmination of all Sherlockian speculation - although by no means the
last - Baring-Gould draws together much work by himself and other hands to tell the story of
the Great Detective's family, career, and retirement. The book is notable for popularizing the
idea that Nero Wolfe was Sherlock Holmes's son. Elements from the Professor
Challenger stories, and from three notable pastiches, are also included

 Function of Biography

To provide details regarding the life of a person or a thing in an entertaining but

informative manner. By the end of a biography, the readers feel like they are well acquainted
with the subject. Biographies are often non-fictional, but many biographers also use novel-
like format, because a story line would be become more entertaining with the inclusion of
strong exposition, rising conflict and then climax. Besides, the most inspirational life stories
could motivate and put confidence into the readers.
 PROFILE

A profile is not a biography or autobiography. The profile is a biography sketch,

providing details of the person’s character, an overview of the person’s life story, and
highlights of the person’s achievements and accomplishments. When the writer crafts a
profile, the writer makes “some person” the focus of the story. The writer can profile a stranger
or someone he/she knows well. The writer can also profile someone ordinary, such as a
teacher, or priest, or police officer, or someone extraordinary, like Margaret Atwood, David
Hockney, or Steve Jobs. For instance, in the November 11, 2011 edition of The New Yorker
magazine, writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote a profile on Steve Jobs called “The Tweaker: the
real genius of Steve Jobs.”

Before writing a profile, the writer must answer the question “Who is this person?” If
the writer knows the person, the writer will rely on memory and observation and personal
experience to write the profile. For instance, Charles Simic wrote a profile about his uncle
called “Dinner at Uncle Boris,” which is based on a dinner at his uncle’s home. If the writer
doesn’t know the person, the writer will conduct research, interviewing the person, visiting
various places where the person works, lives, socializes, observing the person in their daily
life, reading books, articles, and other material on the person.

A good profile includes telling details, dialogue, and storytelling. The writer will also
use scene, summary, and personal reflection. A good profile is also interesting, profiles
someone new, encourages the reader to think more about the person. A good profile informs,
educates, and entertains readers. Some profiles have a serious tone, and other have a humorous
tone.

 Definition of Profile
A profile is not a book-length biography, which is an in-depth description of the life and
times of another person. Nor is the profile a book-length autobiography, which involves
writing about one’s own life. The profile is usually only a few pages and published in
magazines or newspapers as an essay. The writer can profile someone he/she knows or a
stranger. As well, the writer can profile someone ordinary or extraordinary. Sometimes the
profile is about the good guy. The writer profiles a person who wants to achieve or accomplish
something worthy. Perhaps the amateur athlete dreams about winning a gold medal at the
Olympics, or the starving artist desires to achieve fame and fortune, or the writer aspires to
write the next bestseller.

Some profiles are about “the villain.” In the September 24th, 2012 edition of the New
Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell writes a profile about child molesters called “In Plain View: How
Child Molesters Get Away with It.”” In the essay, Gladwell narrates two stories about
pedophiles, to illustrate how the sexual predator uses “trust” to create the opportunity to abuse
a child.\

The writer will include details about the person’s private life, psyche, and public world.
The inner world deals with the person’s thoughts, feelings, opinions, views of other people.
In writing about the outer world, the writer identifies some of the important setbacks and
obstacles, as well as the significant accomplishments and achievements.

The writer can profile someone he/she knows or a stranger. If the person knows the person
he/she will profile, the writer can create the profile from memories, observations, and personal
experience. To write a profile about a stranger, the writer must have access to the person.
Having access allows the writer to interview and to observe the person at work and at play.
The writer will also interview family, friends, and work associates.

Sometimes a portrait isn’t based on an interview but a conversation. For instance, Charles
Simic wrote a profile called “Dinner at Uncle Boris,” which is based on a dinner and evening
conversation with his uncle. He includes humour, telling details, dialogue, scene and
summary, and personal reflection to construct the portrait of his uncle.
The good profile of a public person answer several questions, including:

 Why is the writer profiling the person?

 What is unique about the person?
 What is significant about the person?
 What are the person’s achievements or accomplishments?
 What obstacles or setbacks did the person have to overcome?
 Why is the person in the news or public consciousness?
 Does the writer likes the person? Dislike the person? Why?
The best profiles answer the question “Who is this person?” Unfortunately, people
perform many roles, such as husband, breadwinner, parent, and so the writer will not be able
to write a complete profile. No matter how much research the writer completes, the writer will
never know the person completely, because people have darks sides they don’t share and
personality traits that aren’t always revealed.

 Types of Profile
In “Telling True Stories,” writer Jacqui Banaszynski, in his essay “Profile,”
identifies three types of profiles:
1. Cradle-to-Current Profile. It is a profile about the person’s entire life, up to the
present. The writer invests a great deal of time in researching, writing, and fact
checking.
 2. Niche Profile. It is a profile that is 1,000 words or less, and can be written in a short
period of time. The writer composes a profile about someone in the news. This type of
profile includes relevant background information. For instance, if the writer is crafting
a profile about a person who won a Pulitzer for Literature, the writer would include
education and previously published works. But biography details about place of birth
and early education would not be relevant. Instead the writer focuses on “telling
details.”
3. Paragraph Profile. This type of profile is brief, providing essential details about
accomplishments or achievements, and the person’s significance to the story. It is a
paragraph or two, and part of a larger story.

 Gathering Material for the Profile

Before writing the profile, you must gather material about the person. Your goal is to
answer the question “Who is this person?” Here are a few ways to answer the question:

Begin by searching the Internet to find out what else has been written about the person.
Start by completing a Google search. By reading what other writers have written, you can
obtain a general sense of the person, such as their level of education, work accomplishments,
interests, tastes, reason for being in the news.

Interview the person you are profiling and other people who know the person, such as
friends and family. As well, interview subject matter experts. For instance, to get related
information about being a stunt pilot, writer Annie Dillard collected quotes from a pilot who
as a crop duster
In the interview, what sorts of questions should you ask? Here are a few suggestions:

1. What are the events or moments that shaped your life?

2. What are your biggest accomplishments and achievements?
3. What are you afraid of?
4. What is your biggest regret?
5. What setbacks or obstacles have you faced?
6. What motivates you?
7. What are your fears and worries?
8. What do you value?

In addition, you should try to observe the person at work or in their natural habitat. For
instance, before Anne Dillard wrote, “Stunt Pilot,” a profile about a stunt pilot. She watched
the, Dave Rahm, the pilot fly his plane. She writes:”Rahm did everything his plane could do:
tailspins, four-point rolls, flat spins, figure eights, snap rolls, and hammerheads.” (You can
read this profile in Creative Nonfiction: A Guide to Form, Content, and Style with Readings
by Eileen Pollack)
 If the person is deceased, you can sometimes uncover their inner world of the person by
reading their diaries, journals, letters, Facebook profiles and other social media.

Immerse yourself in the experience. Before writing the sketch about Dave Rahm, the stunt
pilot, Dillard immersed herself in the experience of flying by taking a seat in the plane and
flying as Rahm’s passenger. She writes: “Later I flew with Dave Rahm; he took me up…We
flew from a bumpy grass airstrip near the house…We were over the clouds at five hundred
feet and inside them too…”

If the person is a well-known public figure, you can read a biography about the person. If
the person has written their own autobiography, make sure you read it.

How do you know when to stop researching? You must continue to research until you
have sufficient “telling details” to write a profile that’s compelling. Your goal is to create a
revealing, interesting, and entertaining profile.

 Writing the Profile

Many of the best profiles are written as narratives. The writer crafts true story
involving a central character. For instance, Charles Simic, In “Dinner at Uncle Boris,” profiles
his uncle, writing a story about a dinner conversation. Annie Dillard, in “The Stunt Pilot,”
profiles a pilot flying a stunt plane.

To write a profile, follow these suggestions:

 Structure

Structure the profile using the narrative arc. It includes:

1. Inciting incident
2. Conflict, such as setbacks or obstacles
3. Turning point and climax
4. Resolution or end of the story

 Developing Character

To reveal character, use the fictional methods of characterization. These include:

1. Dialogue. Use interviews or immersion to capture interesting quotes of the person you
are profiling. Use these quotes in your profile.
 2. Description of Appearance. Observe the person you are writing about. Make note of
their physical appearance, including hair style, clothing, gestures, hygiene, and so
forth. Use concrete, particular, significant details to describe the person.
3. Dramatic action. Show what the person does, their actions and reactions, in the
narrative.

 Point of View

Use both the first person POV (“I”) and third person (“he/she”). For instance, in the
profile “The Stunt Pilot,” Dillard uses third-person POV to write the narrative of the pilot
flying in the sky, performing his daredevil stunts, and to provide narrative summary. She
begins: “Dave Rahm lived in Bellingham, Washington, north of Seattle…Dave Rahm was a
stunt pilot.” She shifts to first person POV (“I”) to share personal reflections about the stunt
pilot.

 Scene, Summary, and Personal Reflection

Use a scene to recreate important events. A scene always includes setting details,
dramatic action, vivid description, dialogue, and POV. Use summary to “tell” or explain. Use
personal reflection to express your views about the person, sharing your own thoughts,
feelings, opinion, and emotional truth.

 Vivid Descriptions

To reconstruct setting and events and people, use sensory details, writing descriptions
of what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.

Don’t include every detail. Instead use “telling details.” These are concrete,
significant, particular details, which reveal deeper meaning than their descriptions.

 Facts not Fiction

Don’t fabricate dialogue or events. This is writing fiction. As well, complete fact-
checking.
  Writing Style

Follow the advice in “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser and “The Elements of
Style” by Strunk and White. As well, read “The Writer’s Portable Mentor” by Pricilla Long.

 Revision

The first draft is never your best work. Always revise the draft, completing a macro-
edit (structure, tone, elements of fiction, POV) and micro-edit (grammar, spelling,
punctuation, word choice, sentence patterns).

 Tips for Writing a Profile

Here are a few tips for writing a profile or biography sketch:

1. Select a person to profile, and then begin with an interesting question you want to
answer. If you are going to profile someone you know, mine your memory, observe
the person in real life, and write about some significant event. (In Dillard’s profile, she
answers “What it is like to be a stunt pilot?”) If the person is unknown, collect your
material by researching the person.
2. Before interviewing, have a list of open-ended questions you want to ask. These
require the person being interviewed to respond with more than just “yes” or “no.”
3. After doing the research, decide on an approach. How are you going to begin? With a
scene? With a quotation? With a question? Before writing, outline your story. Make a
list of all the important points you want to write about.
4. Always focus on what is significant or compelling. What is surprising? What is
important? Any secrets? Oddities? Peculiarities? Contributions to society? What is
their legacy?
5. Show and tell your reader. You tell the reader by explaining and summarizing. You
show the reader by writing in scenes. For any significant event, write a scene.
6. Include dialogue. A good profile includes dialogue, revealing some personality trait.
7. Include telling details. A good profile includes vivid description, revealing some
personality trait.
8. Don’t create one-dimensional portraits or profiles. Every person has a dark side. Every
person has attributes you don’t admire. Share these telling details with the reader.
9. Your subject is living an epic. In other words, the profile fits into a larger story about
life. Consider the larger story as you write.
10. Every story has a theme, a universal truth, shared meaning. For instance, Steve Jobs
was one of the great inventors and innovators. He was a visionary who reshaped
communication, use of leisure time, and everyday life with digital technologies.
 CHARACTER SKETCH

It is a form of biographical narrative that is shorter than a profile. Focuses on

significant events in a person's life. The character sketch can be described as a cameo or
miniature life story.

It concentrates on revealing personality and character. In other words, it creates a vivid

impression of a subject rather than recounting a life story.

Example:

James Thurber in Gentleman from Indiana

One day in the summer of 1900, my father was riding a lemon-yellow bicycle that
went to pieces in a gleaming and tangled moment, its crossbar falling, the seat sagging, the
handlebars buckling, the front wheel hitting a curb and twisting the tire from the rim. He had
to carry the wreck home amidst laughter and cries of "Get a horse!". He was a good rider and
the first president of the Columbus Bicycle Club, but he was always mightily plagued by the
mechanical. He was also plagued by the manufactured, which take in a great deal more
ground. Knobs froze at his touch, doors stuck, lines fouled, the detachable would not detach,
the adjustable would not adjust. He could rarely get the top off anything, and he was forever
trying to unlock something with the key to something else.

James Thurber's character sketch, used techniques of description, narration, and exposition to
let us understand the kind of person the father was.

 Tips on How to Write a Character Sketch

1. Get inside your character's head

A character sketch is a quick rendering of a character, and writing a sketch is about

asking and answering questions. In order to write a character sketch, you must ask yourself
questions about your character.
 2. Who is your character physically?

Physical characteristics are the first things we notice when we meet someone.
Therefore, this is a good starting point when writing a character sketch.

3. What is your character doing?

This brings into account other aspects of story writing such as setting and time. The
answer to this question will also affect other aspects of your sketch, such as what your
character is wearing or how he or she is feeling. Is your character walking down the street? Is
he or she sitting in a park? Is your character working on a boat? Asking what your character
is doing will not only help you understand your character, but also his or her relationship to
the setting in your story.

4. What is your character feeling?

This is probably one of the more complex questions you can ask about your character.
Is your character angry? Is he or she happy, sad, tired, or depressed? Does your character love
something or someone? Asking questions about your character's emotional life might evolve
into the production of a character history.
 INTERVIEW STORY

Normally in job interviews, the first step is accepting that interviews are not about
answering questions; your resume does most of the answering of the basic questions about
your skill sets and abilities. Interviews are about telling stories and communicating desired
messages to a hiring committee. When interviewing, you should strive to communicate how
you would be a great fit for the organization and the position. This requires the ability to tell
a story.

Take into account these five important steps when performing an interview story:

1. Answer First

Yes, being prompted to tell a story in an interview is enough to send you spiraling into
panic mode. But, there’s one important thing you need to remember here: These prompts are
called behavioral interview questions. Emphasis on the word questions. This means you need
to provide an answer to something specific, and not just launch into a long-winded explanation
about something that’s completely irrelevant.

The best way to ensure that you drill down to the meat and potatoes and give the
interviewer exactly what he’s looking for is to start your story with a concise, one-sentence
response, before elaborating on those nitty-gritty details. While you’re telling a story, you
don’t need to weave in tension and suspense the way an award-winning author would. Your
main concern should be answering the question.

For the sake of example, let’s assume that your interviewer asked you to talk about a
time when you made a mistake.

 What This Looks Like

“A professional mistake that still sticks in my memory is when I mixed up the date for
a large meeting my department was hosting.”
 2. Provide Context

Now that you’ve given a brief answer, it’s time to expand and provide some
background information. After all, a one-sentence response won’t be enough to satisfy your
interviewer. She’ll be left wondering exactly how you managed to goof up that date. What
was the fallout from your blunder? What did you do to fix it?

So, it’s time to give the context of the situation. Don’t get so bogged down in minor
details here. Your interviewer doesn’t need to know that it happened on a rainy Tuesday or
that you were feeling particularly groggy from that huge burrito you ate for lunch. Instead,
zone in on what’s important and actually helps to provide some clarity to the situation.

 What This Looks Like

“My department was coordinating a training session that our entire company was set
to attend in order to learn about a new process we were implementing. We had tentatively
scheduled the large meeting for the middle of May. But, when we changed the date to a week
earlier, I neglected to make that change in my own calendar. The meeting was a week sooner
than I thought, forcing me to scramble to get things pulled together in time.”

3. Explain Your Role

You’ve laid the groundwork and explained the problem. However, remember that
these questions were designed to find out how you handle certain situations. So, you need to
make sure to emphasize the role you played.

Think about what specific duties you were responsible for, and then elaborate on those.
One key thing to keep in mind when describing your role is that you shouldn’t make any
attempt to make excuses or shift blame—particularly if you’ve been prompted to discuss
something like a mistake, failure, or a conflict. So, don’t even bother explaining that you
weren’t included on the email about the date change or that your co-worker forgot to loop you
in. Instead, take ownership.
  What This Looks Like

“I was responsible for creating the slide deck that would be presented at the meeting
and walk our entire staff through the new changes. I had wanted to take my time with the
presentation, making sure that I hit the right details and explained things in a simple and
efficient way. But, when I managed to goof up the date, I had to speed through the presentation
creation—meaning it wasn’t quite as polished as I would’ve liked.”

4. Share the Results

This is the part when you need to start to wrap things up. Every story has a resolution
where you tie loose ends together—unless you’re writing a sequel, which I wouldn’t
recommend in an interview situation.

You always want to highlight results in your interview. So, the best way to pull
together the ending of your story is to explain the outcome of the example you chose. What
happened in the end? How did this all play out for you?

 What This Looks Like

“Although I had higher standards for the presentation than how it turned out, everyone
was happy with it in the end. It taught my colleagues a lot. So, despite the all-nighters and
moments of sheer panic that resulted from my date screw up, I was glad the presentation ended
with everyone’s approval.”

5. Make the Lesson Clear

Think of any classic children’s story, and you’ll identify one thing they all have in
common: a lesson. The tortoise taught us that slow and steady wins the race. The ugly duckling
showed us to always be kind to others. To really make sure your story has a lasting impact,
end by talking about what the experience taught you.

Even when you’re asked to share an example of something negative in your

professional history, it’s important to remember that your goal is still to present yourself as a
qualified and accomplished candidate. So, don’t just stop after you’ve explained your failure
or mistake. Instead, go on to elaborate on how this experience inspired you to improve in those
areas and made you an all-around better employee.

 What This Looks Like

“While I definitely didn’t enjoy that frantic mad dash to reach the finish line, making
this mistake illustrated the importance of keeping a close eye on my calendar. Now, I make a
point each week to sit down and look through all of my scheduled commitments to make sure
I’m not missing anything important.”

We get it—being prompted to tell a story in an interview is enough to make you want
to hightail it right out of that meeting room. However, these questions are inevitable. You
might as well accept that fact and work on delivering as polished and powerful of a tale as
you can.

So, when you’re asked to provide a personal example, remember to structure your
approach using these five crucial story elements. Incorporate those key pieces, and you’re sure
to end up with an impressed interviewer—and maybe even the job!

Take this as an example: You were recently interviewed for a role that required the
ability to reach out to clients for new business. Because of this job requirement, relationship
building was a key attribute for success in this role. During one interview session, you were
asked what your first job was – no lie, the committee wanted to know about your first job.
You could have told them in five seconds that your first job was a paper route when you were
ten years old – instead, you tell them a story.

“My first job was a paperboy when I was 10 years old. In addition to delivering the
daily paper, the role required me to visit each customer and collect the weekly amount for the
paper delivery. Collections were a key aspect of the job as without the collections I would not
get paid. As I made my rounds to my clients, I tried to get to know each customer and often
engaged in small talk while the monetary transaction took place. I discovered the families
where I had developed a stronger relationship were the clients whom I knew their preferences
– paper inside the screen door or send through the mail slot section by section, collect on
Sundays when the Giants were not on television (I grew up in Northern New Jersey), etc. In
addition to knowing these clients’ preferences, they were better tippers during the weeks and
holidays and were more forgiving when their paper was late or wet. The paperboy role taught
me the need and the power of taking the time to develop a connection, or relationship, with
clients. The better I knew my clients, the better service I was able to provide and the better
business I was able to generate.”

The key to this answer is to connect the story to a desired skill set needed for the
position. By relating the stories and examples back to the core competencies of the job, you
communicated an image instead of just providing answers to questions.