Andy Goodman is an educator and consultant who teaches communication skills, focusing on how storytelling is critical to capturing the imagination of those you’re trying to persuade to your point of view. Free-range Thinking is his monthly journal of “best practices, resources, and generally useful stuff for public interest communicators… .”
We all likely take the notion of storytelling for granted or not very seriously. Everybody tells stories, right? What’s the big deal?
Right, everyone tells stories, but most not so well. More often than not, we miss the opportunity to use a story at all—we jump into facts and logic, when people are more likely to be engaged in the emotional hook of a story about people. Andy takes the notion and craft of storytelling very seriously. Stories have a specific beginning, middle and end; they describe challenges, conflict and characters we as a reader or listener can relate to. They also have a resolution.
In the case of public interest (imagine trying to impress on community leaders the importance of supporting a public access AED program), stories inspire hope and a vision for a preferred future. And the very best stories end with a call to action, instilling in us a sense that we can make a difference.
One of Andy’s columns from earlier this year told of a fascinating essay by Harvard public policy professor Marshall Ganz called “What Is Public Narrative?” It describes the three stories every leader must tell: a story of self, a story of us, and a story of now. Go read it … now.
To sign up for the free monthly journal Free-range Thinking and to download a copy of “What Is Public Narrative,” visit thegoodmancenter.com.
