Cup of Inspiration

Today, October 5^th, we celebrate National Storytelling Day. When thinking about storytelling, we may picture sitting with our children at bedtime while reading a story to give them pleasant dreams as they drift off to sleep. We may think of the friend who always has the best stories about a camping trip, or the coworker who can tell funny stories about mishaps at company functions from years ago.

Storytelling is a great way to entertain, to bring laughter, or even bring tears. While there are great storytellers, the truth is we all have a story to tell.

You may not be famous. You may not be a personality on the screen, or a great influencer on the social media scene. However, you have a story. You have a story about persistence when you didn’t give up on a project. You have a story about facing fear when you overcame your fear of water and learned how to swim. You have a story about avoiding financial pitfalls after losing money on the stock market.  

Storytelling isn’t just a way to entertain a group of friends. Storytelling can be useful in a variety of ways. When you are pitching a new product to a customer, you may use storytelling to help the customer visualize how much they need that new product. When you’re going to upper management to request funding for a new project, you may use storytelling to help them see how much return they can expect from the investment. Storytelling can help turn a slide presentation from a bunch of mind-numbing charts to a picture that will have a lasting effect on the audience.

Storytelling can bring a laugh to a friend who is having a really hard day. It can help a coworker understand a new process. It can help break the ice with a stranger, allowing two people to see they have more in common than they at first thought.

Today is the day to engage in a little storytelling. It may be a story about that Christmas when you got a toy you had so desperately wanted. It may be a story to help explain a process to a new coworker who just can’t seem to understand. It may be a simple story to bring laughter at the lunch table. Whatever the reason, take advantage of any chance to improve your storytelling. It will not only help you both professionally and personally, but you may find you enjoy it after all.