This new website, [Stories of] A World That Just Might Work, is possible now because my two paths have merged. Over the last few years, most of my speeches, workshops and consulting have focused on the power and practice of story and narrative.
And I’ve come to realize that more and more that’s also what I’m aiming for in radio. In interviews, I’ve always been looking for stories and a through-line, but it’s grown more conscious lately. I interview people from all sorts of fields. The common thread is that I suspect our conversations are on a path to a world that just might work. I’m looking for narratives that make sense of our situation, narratives in which we see ourselves and in which we can play productive roles.
At the same time, I’m bringing a wider perspective to my story work with organizations.
I used to encourage people to tell primarily individual stories and some organizational stories. To engage audiences – of one or of many – in hearts as well as minds, I recommended telling tales of individual protagonists – clients, staff, volunteers — overcoming obstacles to achieve goals.
I’ve come to realize that we live and we act in a web of interconnecting stories. Imagine Russian dolls, one inside another. You live in a web of narratives, one inside another. To truly tap the power of narrative, it helps to see yourself in bigger stories. Find yourself in the stories of your organization, your company, your community. Find yourself in the story of your field or your movement. And finally find yourself in the
big story of transforming our society.
