Catching up with friends last week, one of them—a corporate refugee now plunging into the art world—dropped this ear worm:
"You have to elevate your story to tell THE story."
Her words have been echoing in my mind ever since. Elevate your story. It's a refreshingly simple yet compelling way of framing thoughts I've been mulling over for years. At its essence, it suggests that sharing our subjective stories is a profoundly human act. Every person has a story waiting to be elevated.
There are (at least) a couple of reasons why this strikes me as particularly important today. I'm hesitant to touch on the first reason because it revolves around a topic that's suddenly everywhere, all the time, all at once: generative AI. With my background in cognitive psychology and early forays into AI and machine learning-adjacent topics dating back to 1995, I'm often invited to share my perspectives on AI's role in our work and lives. My viewpoint is straightforward: we need to double down on what it means to be human. And a significant part of humanity is telling our stories.
We're sense-makers.
This is something that I talk about as sense-making, or making sense. Each of us enters into this world facing complete and utter chaos. We leave the comfort of a dark, warm bath for a world full of blinding light, harsh noise, and the hum of human chatter.
Yet, somehow, we find a way to make sense of the messiness around us. Not only do we make sense of it, but we create meaning and purpose from sheer insanity. This is a far more nuanced human talent than most of us realize.
Making sense is our innate ability to transform a stew of experience into impactful, organized stories. There's an art to turning incomplete fragments of information into cohesive narratives that describe and define our lives. In a world that's awash with glowing and growing distractions, sense-making through stories serves as a compass for navigating the human condition.
We all have subjective life experiences. And the stories we extract from those experiences help us cultivate deep connections, interpret and savor big moments, and take actions aligned to our personal values. We use sense-making to elevate our human stories. And with respect to AI, I'm happy to go out on a limb: machines will never have the subjective life experiences that make sense-making possible. If they do, we should worry. So it's not just a human gift to elevate your story; it's a joyful responsibility.
Tellers & Listeners.
But enough of sense-making. There's another reason why I think storytelling is so important, especially now: it's hard to tell a good one, and we suck at it most of the time. I'm not being a jerk—it's really hard! Fortunately, I know some folks who have honed their storytelling craft to an impressive degree. One of them is a friend who holds down a job at Google while also finding time to win prestigious live storytelling competitions. And together, we're working to bring the craft of storytelling to the broader world.
One subject we've discussed is the tight relationship between the teller of a story and the listener. When we tell our story, it becomes part of how the listener sees things; the humanity of the teller becomes part of the humanity of the listener. But what happens when we hear a really interesting, sticky story? Often, we re-tell it to others! So now, the person hearing a story becomes the person telling the story. And, voila, this is a big part of how shit goes "viral." There's simply no way for this to happen unless we elevate our own human stories.
In light of this, I urge you: find your voice amidst the cacophony. Elevate your story, not just for the sake of narrating your own experiences, but to weave your thread into the larger human tapestry. This act of elevation isn't only about refinement; it underscores amplification and connection. By sharing our stories, we claim our space in this world, inviting others to see through our eyes for a moment, to feel our joys and sorrows, and to learn from our unique perspectives.
Start small.
So, how do you begin? Start small. Reflect on a moment that shaped you, a lesson learned not from textbooks but from the gritty, messy reality of life. Share that story with someone. Then another. Observe its evolution with each telling. Notice the connection it forges.
And then, take it a step further. Join me in a journey to master the art of storytelling. Together, let's explore ways to craft narratives that resonate, that challenge, that inspire. Whether through a comment, an email, or your own written piece, share your process, struggles, and gleeful successes.
This is how we'll elevate not just our stories, but THE story.