What's your story today ?

WHAT's YOUR STORY ?

This used to be standard tag line asked by one of my supervisors. Initially, it used to bug me and felt it lacked the seriousness in its tone and purport. It took me quite a while to understand it..

 The concept of story-telling

As we grow up the ladder, the sweep of the responsibilities keep increasing, yet the quotient of time remains the same. The easiest option of the yore used to be to hire people. These days we have options of outsourcing, tech-solutions, algorithms et al. Nonetheless, the keeper of each of these options become your story-tellers. Here the word story refers to the narrative / information that is passed on which has one perspective. A story therefore could have multiple dimensions. The ability to see multiple dimensions even as a story is being narrated, is experience.

The weave of the story

In a movie, where the size of the audience is large, the components of the narrative needed a hero, a villain, and certain types of sequences, to ensure the box-office collections ticking.

In a corporate environment, time and money, both are vital resources. So in a short engagement either physically or virtually, if we are able to communicate effectively in terms of what the listener would like to hear, in a short sequence, which could easily be carried by your listener, then the weave of the story is right. This recall effect will drive other forces to eventually act on it and chart a new course. The seed sown starts to germinate..

So the important points that are key take-aways

1.  Every engagement has a story. Attention it gets is the skill of the story-teller.
2.  A good story always leaves audience thirsting for more. Not every story is a success. Yet every story and its aftermath has immense learnings for the story teller.
3. Stories don’t necessarily have to capture and exhibit efforts taken to sequence the story. It has to be valuable enough for the listener to be hooked till the last sentence.
4. If your narrative is a serial / series, make sure the viewer recollects where one narrative ends and the next begins.
5. Use the time given to you effectively. Stick to the time requested. The viewer / listener acknowledges your respect for time.

 The North Star

Over a period of time, the concept of story-telling is a style I found, could be applied to the self too ! End of each day, in a typical filmy style, my inner-conscience would prop up, and ask me – How did your day go ? What did you do today ?

On many days initially, I didn’t find proper answers emerging. Thereafter, the quality of answers began improving. This would lead to clarity in many actionables during the day. I had begun to re-script backwards, marking milestones, eventually leading to what I wanted to be my story.

This approach helped me bucket my time, and the cost of my time, and helped me determine whether it was worthwhile in doing certain parts of my work myself, or delegate to an effective cost level. It helped me chart my productivity to its efficient best. From being a milestone marker in chartered waters, I started becoming the explorer moving to unchartered waters, where newer horizons of opportunity became visible, for a new story to begin…

What's your story today ?