When we share our stories—whether it’s in a personal conversation, on social media, or in our newsletter—it’s always best practice to tell a story that you “own,” a story that you’ve experienced personally or is meaningful to you in some way. And, importantly, one that shows the impact of your organization. A personal connection to the story helps create necessary authenticity and credibility.
But what if there is something standing in the way of you
telling a compelling, effective, and completely
truthful story? For example, you’re a
twelve-step program or work with kids in foster care. Both of these situations
could potentially keep you from telling someone’s specific story. Or maybe you simply can’t get permission.
You get the idea. There are hundreds of reasons why we “can’t
tell our story.” But there is one good reason why you can. It doesn’t have to be real. Wait. What? A
made-up story? Isn’t that illegal or something? What about that authenticity?
Remember, our job as a storyteller is to move our listener
to take some action; to be engaged with the organization in some capacity,
preferably financially! There are a lot of things an effective, and persuasive,
story must include besides authenticity including enthusiasm and a story
character who needs empathy and support. But, the veracity of your story
character is not one of them. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can’t just out and
out lie. Your impact and your need must be real. Your call to
action must be compelling.
But
you can create what I call an “ensemble story.” A little bit of this … a little
bit of that, like a group of musicians who come together playing different
instruments, different notes and yet make beautiful music together. By creating
an ensemble story, you have the power to build a compelling case for why: why
your clients need help and why your organization makes a difference in your
community.
As Simon Sinek says, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy
why you do it.”
So, if you want to tell the story of Alice’s journey through
the foster care system, it’s perfectly fine to turn Alice into “Timmy” and
instead of Alice’s curly blonde hair, Timmy has cropped red hair and wears his
tennis shoes on the wrong feet. Maybe throw in a little of John’s journey
through the system … he has emotionally abusive foster parents. All of this
comes together to create a vivid mental image where the need is real and your
agency provides hope. And, not once in that story is Alice’s privacy
compromised or your veracity questioned.
So how do you authentically tell an ensemble story? You
start with something like, “Just imagine …” or “What if …”
For example, you might start the story this way–Just imagine you’re a little boy living with
strangers who have given you a place to sleep, but you’re not really part of the
family. Let’s take a look at the life of a boy we’ll call Timmy. His story
represents the types of children we often see in foster care. At five or six or
ten, these kids are often sad and angry at a world that’s let them down. Kids
like Timmy keep all their stuff in a garbage bag because they have no real
place to call home. At our agency we help kids just like Timmy find a place to
call home with parents who love him and make him feel safe. Won’t you please
help us help kids like Timmy?. (Remember to include a call to action!!)
Don’t be afraid to gather truthful elements of several stories to help you craft an effective ensemble
story. Your authenticity and enthusiasm for your cause, coupled with a
compelling story, will make all the difference between “we just can’t tell our
story” and “we are a powerful voice for our clients and our community.”
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