When was the last time you told a story?
This morning at a staff meeting? Last night to your daughter? While giving someone a job reference?
Whoever they were, did your audience hear you? More importantly, did they listen? I mean, really listen.
Here I must credit my colleague with a young daughter who explained to me that just because she is being heard by her six-year-old, doesn’t mean that she is being listened to. Listening is a choice.
How do you tell your story so people will listen? Particularly within the relentless narrative buzz that is part of our daily reality.
Let me tell you a story we’re excited about.
Maytree just published the book: Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non Profit Success. It has been eight years in the making.
Here’s an inside look at our listening strategy…
Tell it to a reader.
In his introduction to the book, Alan Broadbent, Maytree’s Chairman talks about how a conversation he had with Maytree’s president, Ratna Omidvar in 2003 turned into a successful formula, then turned into a book idea that Coach House books had the vision to recognize as valuable for the sector.
Tell it to your best friend.
“I just finished this amazing book that you and your Board of directors would find useful. Maybe you should buy them all copies.”
Tell it to a journalist.
Who, what, where, when, why. In the book, Toronto Star columnist Carol Goar tells us “Before you make a phone call or send an e-mail to a member of the media, ask yourself: Why does my message matter to the public? If you don’t know, it probably isn’t news.”
Oh, and thank you Metro Morning for knowing your audience is filled with practitioners in the non-profit, private and public sector and that this book is for them.
Tell it in the lunch room at the office.
“The launch was great! Amazing crowd. I’ll send you the link to the photos.”
Tell it unexpectedly.
Here’s the story in a haiku:
Five Good Ideas
Resource for non-profit orgs
Buy the book and learn
A modern spin on this ancient form of Japanese poetry is of course, the tweet.
Tell it to a stranger on transit.
Tell it to people who will help you tell it.
Canada is home to the second largest non-profit workforce in the world, employing two million paid staff and contributing $112 billion to our economy each year. That’s quite a sales force for this book. There are 40 thought leaders who contributed their good ideas, time and expertise – each with their own network. Thanks for your article, Carol!
Tell it to new audiences.
Hey business and government, this book can also help your organizations function more effectively. You can buy it today.
Five Good Ideas – the lunch and learn series – continues. Join us for the next session and keep the conversation going!
Oh, and buy the book!
(listeningears photo by niclindh licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
