EP #067: Share This Story to Build Trust With Your Audience

Across every industry, company size, and executive level we work with, personal stories consistently deliver the highest engagement rates on LinkedIn.

Most leaders think "personal" means sharing vacation photos or weekend activities. But this approach doesn't resonate on LinkedIn, and it definitely doesn't build trust with your professional audience.

The "Work-Adjacent" Rule

The most effective personal stories follow the work-adjacent rule. These are stories that feel personal and human while maintaining clear relevance to your professional world.

Think of it this way: At a dinner party with prospects and clients, certain topics create common ground while keeping things professional:

• Parenting lessons that taught you about leadership or patience

• Hobby experiences that revealed insights about discipline, teamwork, or problem-solving

• Travel moments that shifted your perspective on business or culture

• Personal challenges that developed skills you use as an executive

• Mentorship experiences (either receiving or giving) that shaped your approach

The Business Connection Is Everything

Every personal story needs to tie back to work - the business insight is what creates value for your audience.

During my long-distance running phase, I'd often post photos from my runs. The content wasn't about the running itself - your LinkedIn feed doesn't need another "crushed my 5K PR" humble brag. 

Instead, it was about the strategic thinking that happened during those miles, the mental frameworks I developed for pushing through difficult moments, or how endurance sports taught me about sustainable performance in business.

The formula for work-adjacent stories works like this:

1. Personal moment or experience (the hook that humanizes you)

2. Business insight or lesson (the value for your audience)

3. Broader application (how others can use this thinking)

LinkedIn Members Want Business Content

LinkedIn has shifted back toward business-focused content. Members have made it clear: they don't want LinkedIn to become Facebook. Audiences reject posts about weekend barbecues, vacation snapshots, and random personal updates that have no connection to work.

Nobody needs another sunset photo with a caption about 'gratitude and mindfulness' that somehow relates to quarterly projections.

Authenticity still works, but it needs to serve your professional audience. Personal stories must connect to business insights, or they're just noise.

Personal Stories Work on Three Levels

When you tie personal experiences to business insights, these stories accomplish specific goals:

• They humanize you: Executives can seem distant or unapproachable. Personal stories remind your audience that you're a real person with real experiences.

• They deliver insights efficiently: Stories are one of the most effective ways to communicate complex ideas. Instead of listing leadership principles, you can show them in action through personal narrative.

• They create connection points: Shared experiences (parenting, pursuing fitness goals, overcoming setbacks) help your audience see themselves in your story.

The Dinner Party Test

Before sharing any personal story, ask yourself: Would I tell this story at a dinner party with clients and prospects?

If yes, and if you can draw a clear line between the experience and a business insight, you've found content worth sharing.

If you're hesitating because it feels too personal, too removed from work, or like it might make people uncomfortable in a professional setting, save it for a different platform.

Your LinkedIn network doesn't need to hear about your colonoscopy results or your opinions on your neighbor's landscaping choices.

Start With Small Moments

The executives who excel at personal storytelling start with small, work-adjacent moments. You don't need to survive a plane crash or climb Everest to have something worth sharing. 

Stop waiting for your origin story moment - your audience connects with Tuesday morning insights, not Hollywood drama:

• A conversation with your teenager that sparked thoughts about feedback

• A weekend project that reinforced lessons about project management

• A book recommendation that connected to their leadership philosophy

• A mistake you made that taught you something valuable

Post these stories consistently, so make personal stories a regular part of how you show up as a leader who happens to be human.

Your audience wants to do business with people they know and trust. 

Personal stories, when done thoughtfully, build both knowledge and trust.

— Justin

Justin M. Nassiri | Founder & CEO
M: 650.353.1138 | E: [email protected]
250 Fillmore St Suite 150, Denver, CO 80206
www.ExecutivePresence.io

Executive Presence specializes in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.