A flight attendant briefed our exit row today. They asked for a verbal ‘yes’ that everyone seated in the exit row was willing and able to help in the event of an emergency. There were multiple ‘yes’ responses until one passenger explained that they were an aircraft mechanic well-versed in the exit row door protocols. The flight attendant kindly said, “I just need a yes or no.”
There is a time to share our story and amplify our expertise. Then, there are circumstances when a simple yes or no is all that is warranted. How might we understand when people are seeking a story and when they are complying with policies?
If you want to occupy the leading edge, you may need to sacrifice the safety of fertile ground and followers. You might need to position yourself on a precipice or shoreline, prepared to weather the most significant impact of storms and the scarcity of reliable resources. You may not thrive. But you are remarkable. Of all the photos I took on a recent backpack trip, only two focused on a singular tree as the primary subject. In both cases, each tree existed closer to the improbable than the safety of the forest. Tens of thousands of trees and yet two occupied the landscape in a way that required capturing for future consideration.
What content we project to our audience versus what we experience behind the scenes are often strikingly distinct realities. Some of us focus on the dip between the two existences. Others see the possibility to invest in creating the magic that makes our stories richer and more robust.
Which mindset is your default? How does it impact your approach?
What we build might remain for others to encounter in the years that follow. It might inspire the next chapter of the journey and leave a story of what was before.
Stories about our stories are fascinating. Take Ernest Hemingway’s well-know six-word story. “For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn.” The story is remarkable but additionally so are the stories attempting to confirm the authenticity of Hemingway’s sentence.
At Chris Guillebeau’s Pioneer Nation gathering near Mt. Hood, Oregon I attended sessions dedicated to crafting one’s message. Creating a compelling story frequently returned to the following outline:
Start with a hook (draw the listener in)
Offer a brief introduction (who are you and why do you matter?)
Deliver the content (what is the message)
Make a call to action (empower the listener to take immediate action)
There are many stories online to serve as templates. Visit Kickstarter or gofundme to see examples of individuals telling remarkable and not so compelling narratives. Review of data demonstrate that an initial promotional story/video needs to be less than 1:45 in length before the attrition rate grows (and the viewer misses our call to action). As we build an audience the length of the stories may expand.
Classic stories began ‘once upon a time’, which served as both the hook and the introduction. The challenge today is to engage with those who are served by our stories. Not every story will resonate but those that find our content meaningful will celebrate each chapter.
Here are a couple masters of storytelling using a variety of approaches.
If you were to design a coat of arms for yourself, how would it manifest itself? What symbols would you include? Colors? Accents? What would be the story contained within the shield? What if you were to merge with another kingdom? What symbols would you keep? Which would you be willing to forgo in order to make space to incorporate symbols that were important to your new partner?
Real stories are authentic, mind blowing, perplexing, rough, silent, obscene, sudden, painful, long, joyful, and unique. We have our elevator story, the synopsis of ours life that is worthy of a couple floors. What is the story we would tell nightly dinner guests during a trans-Atlantic cruise? A story so momentous that it requires breaks. Where plot lines simply fall off into recessed depths (or do they rise out of sight) and yet we continue, undeterred. People want to hear these stories. The ones without editors or a communication departments. One hundred and forty characters may grab a headline but it is hard to change my life without telling the rest of the story.
What-if-concepts 