Over the years I've had the pleasure of working with scientists, researchers and many others I collectively call technologists. Their passion, in one way or another, revolves around science - data, investigation, projections and hypotheses. I find such stories a rare treat (that's the geek in me) but they can put people to sleep if told from a purely scientific perspective. Science wrapped in a personal narrative, however is impactful.
So I help these speakers humanize their technical topics by crafting stories the public can both understand and relate to.
An audience needs to feel as though the revelation that you have experienced is relevant to their own life, and that requires an authentic connection.
I’ve found that there are two main components of compelling narratives. One is about the science or technology (more about that in a future post), while the other involves a storyteller's passion a bit of their life journey. So I’ll ask speakers these two questions:
Why do you care about this particular field of study?
What path did you follow to become an expert in it?
Yes, there's an assumption that if you're giving a talk on a highly technical subject you know what you're talking about. Not just from reading a stack of books, or listening to other experts (although both are important) but from your own personal experience.
It’s important to remember that a story’s impact is, to a large degree, derived from the strength of the listener’s connection to the character (you) that’s moving the narrative forward. The strength of that connection is, in turn, based on their understanding of the character’s motivation and their journey - you may think of it as passion and path.
This has become an oft-mentioned topic within the climate change community as I’ll often hear that reciting the data isn’t working, it’s not reaching people. At which point my recommendation is to bring the storyteller into the picture as a way to connect with audiences. No matter how convincing the numbers are, story is ultimately human.
I encountered this situation during leadership training for the Climate Realty Project in July 2020. During the process I met (via Zoom) a number of professionals dedicated to addressing the threat that climate change was bringing to the table. Everyone was passionate about making a difference by inspiring others to take action.
From scientists and policy activists to educators and concerned citizens, they all told me that storytelling was in short supply. There were plenty of facts to go around, but few had formal training when it came to presenting information in a compelling way. No surprise when you consider the fact that in school the focus in on reading/writing instead of listening/speaking skills.
At the conclusion of the training my mentor asked if I would participate in additional training sessions to help the new leaders craft their first climate change presentation. I jumped at the opportunity since I knew they were hungry to develop their speaking skills as a way to have greater impact on the general public.
After this training concluded I began to wonder who else was out there telling climate change stories, and since I’m a podcast junkie, that was my first stop. I was excited by the diverse mix from which to choose. Scientists, journalists and activists, all wanting to inform and inspire. I sampled a half dozen cool podcasts before luckily finding the opening episode of the Warm Regards 2020 season. The main topic was storytelling.
Launched in 2016, it’s brilliantly hosted by Jacquelyn Gill, an Ice Age Ecologist at the University of Maine, and Ramesh Laungani, a Plant Ecologist with Doane University.
Although they had decided to focus on the topic of data during the upcoming season, they clearly understood the fact that all data is derived from human activity.
Every dot or line on a graph was collected or analyzed by someone - a person with hopes and dreams and fears for their future. The stories we tell with our data also have real consequences for people, too - people with heartbeats and medical bills and kids to tuck in at night, who are faced every day with choices that impact our planet and one another. ~Jacquelyn Gill
In that light, Jacquelyn and Ramesh revealed how they became interested in the earth’s ecology in general, and more specifically, the issues surrounding the causes and effects of climate change. Learning about their journey, as well as hearing the passion in their voices, let me know that the podcast wasn’t an academic exercise. It was the real deal.
What we did is measure the germination rate and heights of tree seedlings. But even then, with just two little pieces of data, measuring the height and measuring how long it took for them to germinate, I found myself wanting to ask the next question, like what’s going on below ground, and how many roots are there? That was really one of the driving factors in helping me sort of become engrossed in ecology and become fascinated with ecology. ~Ramesh Laungani (minor edits for readability)
I invite you to spend an hour listening to the entire episode. If the nature of your story is scientific or technical, are you bringing your passion and journey into the narrative? As you hear Ramesh and Jacquelyn discuss their path to the present day, think about your journey and the source of your passion, then make sure it’s part of your story.
I hope that you enjoyed this post. If so, please share your wisdom and insights below. And don’t forget to subscribe. You can also find me on LinkedIn and Twitter, or even drop me a line with any thoughts or questions you may have about your storytelling.