It’s been a little more than 2 years since I joined We-Storytellers, a community that is driven to make an impact in the business storytelling industry.
Being a passionate writer and a person who loves making Venn diagrams and trend charts, I worked towards mixing together data and storytelling.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways for an organization to tell who they are and what they stand for, and we as We-Storytellers emphasize that storytelling is bigger than marketing.
Through my work, collaborating with writers and being mentored by the best, I realized (or at least I hope to have) I’ve stumbled upon a factor which we as storytellers can improve upon. Hence my resolution for 2023 is to be more empathetic in storytelling.
Making Of A Great Story Through Empathy
The thumb rule of storytelling is to know whom you are writing for. The more I wrote, it became easier for me to understand the demography of my audience, and my tone changed accordingly. But Nidhi kept nudging me to wear their shoes, she told me that as much as I take the time to know the audience, I still have work to do to empathize with them. It is also the reason why I haven’t touched editorials yet.
But the more I read content by senior writers and listened to senior storytellers, I understood why empathy plays a pivotal role in storytelling, especially through the voice of leaders.
I observed that their stories were much more than raw facts or data, they were able to see themselves in the same situation and craft connecting emotions. Those stories were able to connect to the audience’s emotions because the storytellers were able to apply the feelings and lessons from the tale to a similar experience of their own.
Empathy Leads to Trust
Being exposed to a ton of thought leaders, and the care that the WST team takes to deliver communication specially curated to them, made me realize a few things about infusing storytelling in communications.
When the leader’s voice shows authenticity as well as empathy, trust is built. I have seen the morale boost the organization gets when they see their leader empathize with their problems.
Here’s an excerpt from my masterclass with WST team,
“To bring empathy in your story, you must listen. Deeply listen, read, observe and absorb. “
So, this year, I have made a resolution to listen and observe a lot more.
Also, here’s a parting note, empathy is not sympathy. The latter is feeling for them but empathy is feeling with someone.
So, go ahead and become an amazing storyteller.
