Navigating from not sharing our stories to we will share many stories

The second and (at present) final mindshift of a Storyteller is Navigating from not sharing our stories to we will share many stories. You will know you are doing this when you frequently use multiple avenues and mediums to tell many new stories together. Storytellers utilize many different mediums to tell their stories including using meetings, small group and one on one settings, social media, blogs, video, podcasts, and journals. A key distinction is found in the consistent sharing in ways that reach many members of a community in ways that meet the community's needs. Another way that storytellers tell many stories is by sharing the “messy middle” where tensions and learning occurs, rather than just the polished final product. 

Examples: 

• Sharing stages of the work on various mediums, focusing on process over product 

• Inviting learners to tell stories 

• Learning in public

• Telling stories through the school culture

Non Examples: 

• Sharing only at the end of a project or initiative 

• Only adults are responsible for telling the story

• Sharing stories internally 

• Ignoring the hidden stories 

Questions I might ask myself:

• What messages do I tell myself that might hold me back from sharing my story?

• What messages does your place of employment, the community, or society tell you that might hold you back from sharing your story? Others from sharing their stories?

• How does not telling our stories create spaces for others to tell them for us?

• How does telling our stories create spaces for others to better understand us?

• In your current space, how do you share your stories? How do others share their stories? How does the system share its stories?

When we share our stories, we want to be upfront about the whole story, not just the shiny end product. Sharing in multiple formats, locales, and groups means not only are we heard but also we expand our network for future objectors, inventors, and curators with whom we might work and grow. Not only do we need to be confident in sharing our stories, but we also need to share that confidence with others and encourage them to share alongside us. The more we share, the more we iterate and grow.