Sarah Morgan
Storytellers. Bards. Griots.
Telling stories has always been important.
But we might not realize it so much anymore. We don’t always call it storytelling. Now it gets colder names like “lecturing”. And sometimes “telling stories” has a pejorative connotation, implying that the person doing it is lying.
But I’m interested in storytelling. Professionally, because I give presentations and talks. But also personally, because there’s nothing more fascinating to me than someone who can tell a really good story.
(And when I tell a story, I tend to sometimes get overexcited, just every now and then, and maybe, just occasionally, go off on a tangent or two.
…And now I’ll pause while those of you who know me can roll your eyes at the vastness of that understatement.)
All of which to explain why Brian Andreas (professional storyteller) had me enthralled on the TED blog.
To me, it came down to these three points most of all:
- Talk to people like they’re your friends.
- Show them pictures and patterns.
- Use the ideas of adults but the words of children to point out what’s magical.
I like that last part best. We often get so focused on “but I must EXPLAIN!” that we forget that that’s not usually the point at all.
Knowledge isn’t always a matter of your audience understanding exactly HOW something works. It can be far more important that they understand down in their bones WHY it matters.
Go tell a story today. Make someone care.
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