Situation/Action/Benefit stories are personal anecdotes that relate successful moments in your life, stories that you can tell people in interviews or in conversation to illustrate your strengths and abilities.

With a little preparation and practice, you can teach yourself to tell these stories, also called "accomplishment stories" at the appropriate time. Here's the overall storytelling formula:

• First describe the "situation" as you encountered it, the issues that needed to be resolved, the problems and obstacles that had to be overcome. The challenge is to accurately "set the stage" for the story you're about to tell.
• Then, elaborate in some detail about the "action" you took to resolve the issue or problem. As you discuss this, keep in mind that you're offering a graphic glimpse of yourself in action, the way you handle situation and problems, so be thorough. You're providing the listener with a context within in which to place you and your abilities.
• And finally, offer a synopsis of the result or "benefit" of your actions, the successful outcome, the lessons you learned, the satisfaction you felt.

Here's an example.

Situation: I was brought in temporarily to take over the management of a small department of three people after the manager had been fired because she'd lost the confidence of her boss to complete a project that was seriously behind. This manager had not been "managing up" particularly well, however she had been quite proficient at "managing down". Her staff felt a great deal of loyalty to her.

Action: The first thing I did was meet with the staff, I told tell them I was only in the job temporarily and that I understood how difficult it was for them. I implemented an open door policy and for several days met with them individually and as a group, giving them space to grieve a bit and get used to me. During our private meetings, I asked about their goals and aspirations. I also asked them to think about ways to put the project back on track. One confided that he had been frustrated for some time because the project was poorly organized and offered several suggestions to improve this. I initiated a couple of brainstorming sessions that resulted in other innovative ideas and I was able to implement most of them. Throughout, I kept senior management advised.

Benefit: The staff remained productive during this difficult time. Within a couple of months, the project was back on track and the team operating smoothly. The firm asked me to stay to the end of the project, which I did. One staff member was so instrumental to the project's success that I recommended him for the manager's job.

In every success story of this kind, there's a wealth of information about the skills and strengths of the person who tells it. In this one story, for example, there's concrete evidence of trouble shooting, problem solving and organizational abilities, of sensitivity, empathy, team-building and a commitment to employee development.

Once you've developed some of your own SAB stories, review them carefully to see what skills and abilities they illustrate. These are your strengths. Take some confidence in them.