Storytelling Challenge & Selection

Storytelling is a tool that I use all the time. I work with active citizens of the country who are vocal  about different social and political issues. Many of these people deal with various psychological  issues in every aspect of their lives but strive to make other’s’ lives better, they need to empower  and inspiration is a path to empowerment. I spend a lot of time “opening people up” and finding  ways to let them inspire others to improve their circumstances. When I work with teenagers, we  share stories for different reasons. Often they're full of energy and are so happy to share stories of  their lives with me to connect and they find meaning in sharing these experiences, in a sense. With  my mature clients I share stories of my life in order to help them visualize a state of struggle or  growth, I use their feedback against the context of my story to ascertain their goals, and sometimes  we use stories to better understand their interests and thought processes. I use this information to  develop different strategies to try and find a way that works for them to provide them with  opportunities to empower others.

Application

I have a story about using storytelling. In discussing policy changes with as user, I was trying to  explain to them the benefits of taking a more user focused approach, among other things, and in  particular, of recognizing each person as a unique being, and addressing their individual needs first  and foremost. I was also explaining how sometimes addressing the needs of one individual can  impact everyone for the better, even if it seems extreme or out of the ordinary. I told a story about  when I ran an emergency shelter after a natural disaster. Everyone was doing really well except for  one woman whose stress was making her very emotionally volatile. I could tell she needed  attention; in my mind I decided she would be “Princess for an hour.” I made her a cup of coffee and  sat down with her and let her talk. It turned out that her mother, who was with her, had survived a  brain aneurysm and she was terrified that she would fall or that some other crisis would befall her  during this disaster while in the shelter.

Insight & Approach

Well, wow, that was an eye-opener. Her mother was a calm presence and doing very well. Clearly it  was time for me to open up with my story. I told her how scary it was when my father had his brain  aneurysm in front of me and how I had to get him to the hospital and how difficult and scary that all  was. I shared how he recovered well, and then tied us together, by noting how she and I both have  parents who survived brain aneurysms. This worked really well. She really needed individual  attention for that brief time, and she ended up with that and a true support. She calmed down, her  mother, who had become worried about her, calmed down, and everyone around them calmed  down. Peace reigned again in our little shelter. So I told this story to the user, and I think it had a big  impact on them. The policies are being looked through new lens and their group is going through  new training. Sometimes a little story can do a lot of good. This course made me see this as a tool in  a new way. When I've done it before it was really "ad hoc," but now I can prepare ahead and think of  stories that will assist me in presenting my ideas and best illuminate them.

