What comes to mind when I think of storytelling?

Originally posted 9/10/13 on an internal 3M blog by “AH” a 3M-DS106 Salon member

Over the past year, I’ve reinvented virtually every aspect of my life. It has been incredibly rewarding and invigorating. Storytelling has been a feature of virtually all of the changes. This post seems like a good starting point for future blog entries. I’ll capture the essence of the ideas now, and with the hope expanding on them using the tools I learn in future weeks.

Personal change – My biggest personal change has been difficult for family, friends, and colleagues to come to terms with. How I tell my story to each person has been important – consider the audience. Equally important has been listening to the stories of others. When you share the deepest parts of yourself, many people then trust you with their deeply personal stories.

New friends and acquaintances – My “friendscape” and my circle of 3M colleagues looks entirely different than it did a year ago. First meetings and new friendships are all about stories.

Career change – I’m actively seeking a fresh challenge within 3M. I’ve been revising my resumé and mock interviewing. This is the work of defining myself for prospective employers through careful storytelling.

Storytelling is remembering, or is it?

One additional thought I’d like to explore in the future is remembering through storytelling.  I recently listened to this show on public radio: TED Radio Hour – Memory Games

I’ve heard the assertion that we don’t remember actual events, we remember the last time we told the story. Over time, the stories we tell change as we make sense of them and fit them into our lives as they exist now. As more of our stories are recorded in “permanent” and non-changable digital form, what will this do to the shifting of our stories? Also, how permanent will our digitial stories actually be? Will we really be able to access them? What if we do and they conflict with the stories we tell from our human memories?

Look for expanded thoughts on these themes in the coming weeks. Feel free to share your experiences as well!

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COMMENTS:

“AH”: How can I enhance my storytelling about each of these changes using digital tools?

“HC”: Now that you reinvented the various aspect of your life, you can project yourself the way you want to be with your online presence. There is not a single tool that will do everything you need, so you have to know what is it about the story you are telling and then use the appropriate tool to highlight it.

I could give a suggestion about using digital tools for your career progression (career change is too negative) – although I don’t know how well it would work. Tell the stories about what your interests are and tell the stories about what your skills are. Create a graphical CV? I don’t know how hiring managers or talent management would see a reference to your blog where they can see who you are and then have a deeper understanding than just a few pages in your CV/resume.