Telling Your EQ Story

presenter: Rachel Anne Goodman

Updated 07-30-15

Introduction

I. What is storytelling?II.Why EQ Stories? III. Where to find a good storyIV. Good interview questionsV. How to take a “mission moment” & turn it into a compelling story.

Full Range of Profiles & ReportsWhat is Storytelling?

“A narrative account of real or imagined events.”

Our brains are wired for stories. Stories give meaning to life and help us make decisions and better understand our community’s ethical and social standards of behavior as well as our collective noble goals.

1. Think of someone you know who was helped by EQ2. Finish the sentence… Once upon a time….

Why Tell EQ Stories?

• Help spread awareness about emotional intelligence to new audiences

• Inspire people to learn more about emotional intelligence

• Articulate for yourself why you are doing this work to further energize your interactions regarding EQ

• Advance Six Seconds’ goal of 1 billion people practicing EQ by the year 2039!

Qualities of Compelling Stories

Stories are all around us; look for the personal story that everyone can relate to

Data is not enough; what does the data tell us about changing people’s lives?

Qualities of good stories:

• Contain some conflict that gets resolved by the end

• Has a protagonist or hero who must overcome an obstacle

• Has some sort of epiphany or “aha!” moment when the hero learns something

• Elicits an emotional response

Defining a “Mission Moment”

A Mission Moment is “Any short, inspirational, example of how your organization or work is making an impact.”

Mission moments are short, inspirational examples of your work that put a face on what you do. They are stories and examples that can be repeated by others because they are not too long. They are inspiring and often give visibility to something you’d like to do more of. The moments shared do not always have to have a happy ending. But they DO always have to cause people to feel something.

At Six Seconds, our mission is to support people to create positive change – everywhere, all the time.

Who to Ask:

• Clients• Company Heads• Parents• Teachers• Kids• Network Directors• Coaches

What to Ask

Record your interview. Ask open ended questions that lead to the unveiling of a narrative:

• Tell me about a time where you used EQ in your life. • What happened? How did it turn out? • Tell me about a problem you had recently…• What was it?• How did you feel about it? • What did you do about it? And then what happened? • How did EQ play a role in how you approached it? • How do you feel about the outcome? • What will you do next? • What advice can you give others facing the same problem?

What Stories Might You Tell?

Please take a moment and write your one sentence “mission moment” in the chat window

Step 1:Identify one person (your missionmoment person)

How to Take A Mission Moment & Turn it IntoA Compelling Story

STEPS 2-4

Step 2:Learn about them & jot down as much as youknow about them.

Step 4:Make a list of transformations dueto your involvement.

Step 5:Circle words that stand out asdescriptive or emotionallyconnecting.*

Step 3:Write down all of the exact results.

Use Emotionally Resonant Words

Explosive energy

Cautiously hopeful

Gave a sigh of relief

Smiled from ear to ear

Unrestrained joy

A comforting hug

Use Emotionally Resonant Words

Let me tell you about….

[Name] was facing [problem, challenge]

Here is why and how [name] found their way to Six Seconds

Here is how [name] felt

What they accomplished…

And because of [examples of Six Seconds’ work] [name] is now…

*Thanks to Lori Jacobwith of ignitedfundraising.com for this template

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did.But people will never forget how you made them feel.~ Maya Angelou

Supporting people to create positive change – everywhere, all the time. www.6seconds.org

Next Steps

Share:One thing you learned.

One thing you will change aboutyour storytelling.