Ask for, and listen to story. It’s a skill

Very often I’m fortunate to be in a position to ask for, and listen to story.

Recently, I met a man dedicated to ridding the world of polystyrene packaging for perishable goods.

After seven years in the game, he’s invented an organic, temperature-stable, recyclable, packaging product, which has trialed effectively to transport fresh fish and temperature-sensitive cancer drugs.  Now, he’s just short of a million dollars toward eliminating one of the most toxic waste products on our planet.

Then there’s the organization that’s developed a bulk process to manufacture a critical component of a substance one atom thick. It’s been shown to create a membrane so fine it can filter seawater directly into potable water.  The road to a global market is full of jaw-dropping opportunity, but which way ensures nine billion people will always have drinking water?

These are the stories that fill you with awe at the brilliance and tenacity of people to fulfill a powerful purpose.

Why you should ask for, and listen to story

Asking for and listening to a story is a skill.  But if by doing so, you can make the right connections, provide the right service, plug the hole, or stop the pain, then you too have played a part in changing our world for the better.

PowerPitch & Presentation communication training helps academics, professionals and entrepreneurs to present the impact of their work based on purpose-driven contextualized storytelling.  It is also about why and how to ask for, and listen to story. 

The training starts with understanding the context for telling your stories, why, to whom, your intention and your value.

The same goes for when you ask and listen to stories.  You have to have a context for doing so, and be in a genuine position to assist, for it to work to engage others, to build trust and recall of your key messages in return.

If you would like to know more about how the training can work for you, please contact me at Sandy@SandyMcdonald.com