To celebrate the 50th episode of the Power Your Platform Podcast, I decided to share with you why I believe women make great storytellers.
Let's take a closer look...
#1 - Women are curious and curiosity drives storytelling.
Storytelling is an act of exploration, whether that’s a new topic or a new plot line or a new way of communicating what it is you do inside your business. We NEED curiosity to flourish as storytellers.
Women are great collaborators. Dr. Pamela Rutledge says “stories are about collaboration and connection”. And the good news is that women are great at both!
Dr. Rutledge goes on to say that when we tell stories, we’re allowing others to enter a specific part of our own human experience. And in turn, they respond and tell us about their own journey and bits of their story begin to become a part of our story and before we’re done, we’ve created a beautiful tapestry that’s interwoven with all of our individual story threads.
#2 - Women are community builders.
We take the time to not only talk to our audience, but we also take the time to listen and get to know our audience. And when we do, we’re able to build better relationships with our that audience. So when we share our stories, we lay the foundation to build a community – and not just any community, but a community where people feel they truly belong.
At the heart of communal storytelling is inclusion – because after all, we’re all here on earth sharing a human experience. And that experience is unpredictable and beautiful and sad and joyful all wrapped up together. It’s what we all have in common.
#3 - Women are empathetic.
So why does empathy make us better storytellers? Because stories connect us and inspire us as human beings. And nothing does a better job of drawing people together than seeing ourselves in each other’s stories. There’s a unifying power in that.
And even when our eyes can’t see what we have in common because of our upbringing and unconscious bias – our emotional intelligence can help us identify the parts of ourselves that relate to another person. And that allows us to create powerful stories that deliver a lasting impact.
#4 - Women tend to be detail-oriented.
We tend often to absorb more information and store it away in our brains until we need it. In other words, we’re keen observers. It’s just the way we’re wired – but the result is that we tend to add more detail to a story which brings it to life, adding vibrancy and depth and dimension.
#5 - Women are resourceful (we have to be).
And our resourcefulness as women carries over into our storytelling as well. In today’s overcrowded message culture, coming up with unique and effective ways to get our story across is a talent that’s worthwhile noting.
As Audrey Hepburn once famously said, “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says IM Possible!” And it’s that mindset that’s needed before we can be truly resourceful and quick to pivot and tell an old story in a new way.
When you think about it, there is absolutely NO reason why you should hide behind your brand or your business.