What Happens When the Story is… No Story
I witnessed a strange and intriguing non-story this week – what happens when we just stop communicating?
The US election took place on November 5th, and I boarded a United flight from Chicago to Australia on November 6th to support a marvelous team from Cisco CX in Melbourne. For me and my personal leanings, it was both odd and apropos to head overseas a few hours after the results were clear.
Considering my foreign travels immediately following (and during) US elections in 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2020, I was curious to experience global reactions from citizens of other nations. On those past work trips, international opinion and conversation on American electoral outcomes had been immediate, vibrant, vocal, and unavoidable. This time they were… nonexistent.
A desire for silence
Nothing. Not one word on the election from a restaurant server, Uber driver, construction worker, or police officer. No one had a thing to say. As if November 5th had never even happened. Not only were the Aussies, Indians, Chinese, Malaysians, Koreans, Japanese, and so many others who make up the APJC melting pot not talking about what had just occurred in America, neither were the Europeans. Or even the Americans. In those 10 days abroad I barely registered an international political peep. It seemed to me that the story of our election was silence. Or perhaps the desire for silence.
This got me wondering what happens when a story won't be told, can't be told, or doesn't want to be told. I asked AI that question and here was its response: When a story isn't told, it can lead to a loss of connection, understanding, and historical preservation, as important experiences and perspectives remain unheard, potentially causing a lack of empathy, missed learning opportunities, and a silencing of marginalized voices; essentially, the narrative is left incomplete and may be forgotten over time.
As some guy once said, nothing gets sold until the story gets told.
That's perfect. Politics aside, this is the precise problem I often discover with my clients as a #CorporateStorytelling coach and trainer. When a brand either can't or won't share the story at its core, or the unique, compelling heartbeat that makes that brand tick, the company fails to connect with its audience, its clients, or its own employees. Without a story, a brand is just a plea for attention on its way to insignificance. Same with a person; suppress our story and we suppress ourselves.
In some ways, this election cycle appears to have temporarily broken our accepted storytelling patterns. Those happy about the results are inclined to stifle their story for fear of backlash or negative judgment. Those unhappy about the outcome may feel their story has been proven immaterial or is too painful to tell. Either way, we all lose.
Communication is key
Stories carry cultural knowledge, traditions, and values, so not sharing them can lead to a loss of identity and connection to the past. Sharing stories can be cathartic and help individuals process experiences, while keeping them bottled up can hinder personal development. When stories from diverse perspectives aren't shared, it can create barriers to empathy and understanding between different groups. In some cases, not telling a story can perpetuate power imbalances by silencing marginalized voices or perspectives.
This is as true in #CorporateStorytelling as it is in personal storytelling. When we speak on behalf of our organizations, our stories are what establish identity, connection, experience, and empowerment for our audience. Data and statistical arguments can't and won't accomplish those goals. A speaker who suppresses their story and the story of their brand in favor of another informational deep dive loses attention.
The journal Nature posits a concept of political phase transition toward civil unrest across countries and time, abrupt shifts between macroscopic patterns of organization. Historically, we humans crave upheaval every ~50 years or so, and while there's little scientific evidence or explanation as to why, I believe it's because we're easily bored. The moment we get a bit too comfortable or complacent, we want to tell a new story. On November 5th we wrote a new story. One we're reluctant to talk about.
But we have to keep talking in order to do our jobs and serve our communities.How do we keep speaking with and for the benefit of others in this transitional time when our stories have become so divergent and distrustful? Silence and suppression are not viable options. As leaders, storytelling is the path to alignment and inspiration. Winning companies and their representatives must invest in the story over the statistic to paint the vision of success, and invite the listener to step inside of and star in that vision.
Bottom Line
Each day we'll step farther and farther from this election. Each day it should get easier to share our stories once again. I'll keep striving to help as many speakers and organizations as possible discover, develop, and deliver their unique stories. I hope you'll join me.
