OVERVIEW
In my last two weeks of business school, a club run by two good friends of mine – Design + Business – hosted an event called StoryLab. The event, held at a local club venue was the MBA version of the popular Moth Story Slam events held around the country. I told a story about a difficult time in my life, when I struggled with work, mental health, and self-worth.
SKILLS AND AND INSIGHTS GAINED
Using Specific Detail – Prior to this story slam, I had never considered myself a storyteller. As a result, I focused very hard during my prep time to try to capture the essence of moments with sensory detail, and share that detail in novel ways. For example, I tried to talk about specific things I said or did, instead of discussing scenes in generalities. Using concrete details is very effective in storytelling because it better allows the listener to understand the emotion of a situation (which is interesting), rather than just hearing about what happened (which is boring). Concrete, specific, details also give the listener digestible pieces of information which helps the story stick in their memory.
Letting The Audience Keep Time – Telling a story is much different than recording a speech for playback later. The audience makes a huge difference because they laugh, they gasp, and they deadpan. While telling the story, I had to give up a little control of my story to the audience and let them guide my tempo. While I was speaking, the audience “told” me which moments to hold and which parts to move through quickly. They let me know which moments I could be funny and which details could be elaborated on. The signals audiences send are subtle – like breathing patterns, changes in the level of ambient noise, and stillness – but incredibly important to listen for while telling a story. The audience is your guide and timekeeper.
Authenticity and Vulnerability – The story I told was about a period of time in my young adulthood that I wasn’t proud of and that was traumatic. I would have liked to tell the story without embarrassing personal details, but I couldn’t – there would have been no story otherwise. After the event, several people, ranging from close friends to strangers, expressed their appreciation for my story because I discussed a difficult subject candidly. The stories that we fear sharing the most are the ones that are most moving, because we all have wounds. Vulnerability is empowering, not only for the storyteller, but for the story-listeners as well. Sharing stories rooted in deep emotion helps us discover our common values and builds compassion by reminding us of the sacredness of our humanity.
IMPACT AND LESSONS LEARNED
Originally, I was going to tell a story about my relationship with the game of football. But 2 days before the story slam, I decided to tell a different story which was much more raw. Even though I was unsure of how the audience would receive it, I’m so glad I told the story that I did.
I often think of life as a series of moments, strung together by our subconscious minds to make meaning from our experiences. We all have a choice in how we act during those moments. We can choose to be our authentic selves or we can try to show a manicured version of ourselves that we’d prefer the world to see. After telling this story at Ross’s StoryLab, I’ve doubled down on my belief that life is better lived authentically and on the uncomfortable precipice of vulnerable honesty.
Photo Credit: Brian Flanagan
