Build an Army of Story-Gatherers

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

Our brains are wired for stories. You may not recall exact facts and data points, but you will likely remember stories because they make you feel. For nonprofits, storytelling is one of the most important tools to engage audiences and form emotional connections. Relating and feeling translate to empathy and drive people to action: volunteering, advocating, contributing.

Using stories is not an amorphous best practice. There is hard science behind this. Our brains release happy hormones cortisol, dopamine, and oxytocin. We all tell stories from the time we learn to speak. It’s a part of the human experience and how we connect. But telling a really great story that breaks through the clutter and connects with people can be challenging. That is why we are sharing what we know and deconstructing storytelling, starting with story-gathering, identifying possible leads and gathering information, the raw materials for your story. 

Identifying Story Leads: Who Are Your Eyes and Ears?

Not everyone is born with a gift of gab and that is okay, as long as you have identified a resource who can craft a compelling tale. It is however helpful to deploy a whole army of story-gathers on the lookout for promising story leads and collecting information from the constituents whom they have relationships with.

If your organization is serious about creating a story bank or even if you find yourself in a need of a few new testimonials to refresh the website, it is helpful to arm your story-gathers with an understanding of what makes stories impactful, their role in identifying prospective stories, and how to tease out the information you will need.

More Than Basic Facts

In the story-gathering phase, more is more. Collect as much information as possible and capture details and specifics. This will provide the writers with the information they need and give them sufficient details so that story is not generic. It is up to the writer to curate that information, identify poignant memorable details and leave out the unnecessary clutter.

A typical story is a journey. To make it captivating and impactful, writers introduce drama and emotion that advances the narrative. Train your story-gathering corps to listen to answers and to ask lots of follow-up questions. It is especially important to dive in and explore challenges, obstacles and even hardships that subjects may have encountered along the way. When asking people about their experiences, an effective story-gatherer encourages them to talk about their feelings and emotions, the high and low moments.

Exercise emotional intelligence to calibrate your approach. It is important to listen for cues when the interviewee has more to share or when they get uncomfortable. In having these conversations, you are forming a real connection, not cross-examining a witness. Be gentle and sensitive when the subject matter is tough. Don’t rush them. Listen and empathize, encourage and comfort. Warmth, friendliness and authentic interest will unlock the stories.

Practical Ways to Go Deeper

The following are some suggested questions to help you and your story-gatherers capture deeper stories, beyond the sequence of events. Ask questions to get to know the person or the subject of the story, to build out a three-dimensional human behind the story.

• Ask questions about their family and friends.
• Encourage them to talk about their role models, mentors, coaches, teachers.
• Learn more about them, their interests and experiences.
• Encourage them to talk about what led them to where they are today.
• Ask about who the subject looks up to or what example they hope to set for their children.

The difference between the story that tells us information and the one that captures our imagination is the connection to universal experiences and values we hold dear. To gain this depth, go beyond identifying the sequence of events, dig deeper. Keep asking questions and listening to identify treasures and gems that will make this story stand out, but also know when to fold. Sometimes what you see is what you get. Adapt these questions to your own organization’s subject matter.

• How were you helped through the program and how did you find out about it?
• Ask questions about what led to circumstances and why they found themselves needing support.
• You can learn a lot by asking people about important moments – moments of pride, moments of sorrow, important milestones that stand out in their memories.
• When meeting with volunteers have a conversation about their involvement values or experiences that have led them there.

Challenges and adversity are storytelling gold. An even-keeled story where things were pretty okay and continued to be more okay will not stick with the readers. Conflict, in its broadest definition, will help advance the narrative.

• Ask about moments or experiences that have been challenging. How did they get through those difficult moments? What kept them going? What continues to be a challenge in their life?
• Sometimes the villains are the ones that make stories come to life. When appropriate, ask the subject about those who have not been supportive of them.

Character-driven stories capture the emotional journey. Some of these feelings will be implied and when gathering stories make note of these human experiences. 

• Throughout the discussion, as a follow up ask how they felt during particular times or experiences.
• Ask if they ever doubted themselves when you are describing perseverance.
• Ask about their dreams for the future, what they hope to achieve, regrets, or what they want someone to know about them.

These few simple techniques will provide your staff and volunteers with a framework to help gather compelling stories and gain confidence. If this is a need for your organization, please don’t hesitate to be in touch – LemonSkies offers trainings on story-gathering and storytelling.