I’m spending these next few days preparing for a series of
presentations next week in Budapest. I’ve been asked to come in and spend a few
days with our leadership and management working on presentations, storytelling
and fundraising concepts.
Going through my notes and stories, one thing struck me –
the most challenging thing about how we tell our stories in the Joint is how
personal and individualized they are. The most difficult area we have to focus
on, when we teach field staff and others to tell their stories, is helping them
choose their stories. Once you start using someone else’s
stories, or ideas – it smells fake. And inauthentic stories aren't very
inspiring.
All of this came up the other day in a conversation with a
colleague who wanted “my” JDC introduction presentation that others could use.
The problem is … I don’t have one. Because there isn't one.
You have to talk from your own passion, with your own
stories. My awesome story about how we do such-and-such a thing sounds great,
but only because I've been there, smelled the perfume, touched the brick and
can convey the sound. So I can relay the entire experience authentically. But it's only my story.
I can’t tell your story as well as you can.
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