“You just made me feel so important! Thank you for being interested in my life!” Jacqueline, my Uber driver, announced as she dropped me off at DFW airport.
What did I do? Just asked her questions about her adventures as a Texan-from-Louisiana, an insatiable traveler, a wife, a mom, and an Uber driver. Sensing my genuine curiosity and desire to connect, she told me her story and I caught it. Now I use every Uber ride to practice my storycatching.
It turns a transactional ride into a transformational encounter. And I’ve discovered that being interested in other people’s stories forces me to:
- listen purposefully
- connect without an agenda
- get over myself
- be empathic
- learn about people, places, and things
- and appreciate others’ experiences
And I love storytellers! They entertain, enlighten, teach, and reveal themselves through each story. But someone has to be there to catch their stories…. So why should we be the storycatcher?
- We can discover people on a deeper level – how/why they make decisions.
- We might uncover more about issues and situations.
- We demonstrate our concern for and commitment to others.
- We strengthen our patience, empathy, and compassion.
- We are more interesting individuals when we are interested in others.
But being an effective storycatcher requires authentic curiosity, evoking questions, and deliberate listening.
Start with simple, 1-inch questions:
- How was your weekend?
- Where are you from?
- How long have you been doing this job?
Then draw out the story with follow-up, yardstick questions:
- What was that experience like?
- What was a highlight from your weekend/vacation/situation?
- What did you learn? Anything surprise you?
Catching stories builds empathy and trust, allowing us to step into another’s journey and connect as human beings. |
