Jill MacFadyen's Career Coach Blog

I had asked Esther to speak at one of the Kellogg Alumni trainings that I was facilitating and was impressed with her work.  I asked her to share her START Method with you. 

Esther Choy has been a professional advisor and coach for over ten years. She is the Founder and Director of the Leadership Story Lab, a social enterprise dedicated to helping MBA applicants, career switchers, and military veterans to uncover personal leadership insights through storytelling techniques.  Esther was also an adjunct faculty member for Northwestern University’s Undergraduate Leadership Program from 2001 – 2005.  She has served as an admissions officer for Chicago Booth and holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.  She is an expert in helping clients mine their life experiences and turn them into compelling leadership stories.  Please see her START method, which follows.

The START Method

In interviewing or networking situations, far too many people talk on and on without ever arriving at any relevant points.  How do you tell engaging stories that deliver the essential message and captivate others?  You follow the START method.

START stands for:

S – Situation. Share a situation you have chosen to address a question or deliver a particular message.

1. Set the scene.
2. Problem definition.
3. Provide a hook. 

T – Task.  Describe the tasks involved in the situation.

1. Introduce other characters in the story.
2. Outline “to-dos” by the playbook.

A – Action. Outline actions you took to address the situation.

1. Shift focus back to you. 
2. Demonstrate independent thinking
3. Describe interactions with others.

R – Result. Delineate the results because of the action.

1. Provide quantifiable data whenever possible.
2. Do not categorically rule out a story with negative results.

T – Take-away. What you would like your evaluators to conclude about you.[MCP4] 

1. Do not assume that your audience will automatically draw the conclusion you want them to make.  You need to be explicit with the take-away. 
2. Make the connection between the take-away and the organization you want to be part of crystal clear.
3. A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Take-away is the most crucial part of the story. The end is what people will remember because of the “Recency Effect.”  This is the part where you want to make sure that you have a clear message about who you are, what you can offer to your audience, and why they should care.

The START method is an adaptation of the well-known STAR method for behavioral interviews.  Based on my experience as an admissions officer and consultant, too many applicants miss the opportunity to tell an engaging leadership story.  And even for those who are able to tell good stories, they fail to establish clear take-aways about their candidacies.

When you are structuring your stories, it is a good idea to follow a “flow” so that you can stay on point.  The START method helps you organize your information and tell your story fluidly.

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories. 

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

 www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching    

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

 Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.