Family history storytelling is an important yet sometimes neglected skill for genealogists. Read these 3 inspiring tips for telling your stories even more powerfully.
Recently I was reading a book about how to tell the story of your business. I was surprised to find myself thinking of you, my dear fellow genealogists. Sure, this is a business book for business people. But really, it is a book for anyone who has a story to tell, and a deep desire to touch others with their story.
The book is Seven Stories that Sell by Lisa Bloom. She’s one of the incredible people I’ve met as I’ve grown my business, who has taught me valuable lessons, provided mentorship, and just generally inspired me to be better.
Lisa has some beautiful thoughts to share about how to tell a story in a way that impacts the listener and motivates them to take action. Here are three lessons I learned from reading her eBook with my genealogy glasses on.
Family History Storytelling Tips
1. We need to sell our stories
I know, dear genealogist friend, that you have tried and tried to get your family to care about this passion of yours. What is the secret to get them to truly want to invest and discover and just get curious about their past and the lessons we can surely draw from their ancestors? How do you get them to care?
You sell them your story.
Now, since Lisa’s audience is primarily businesses, she calls this process of getting someone to care “selling.” To me this idea is not about a transaction, but about a change of heart: Selling someone you care about on an idea that you know will change their lives for the better.
Here is a quote from her book. I have substituted some of our genealogy words for her business words.
“Whatever you’re doing in genealogy, if you have a story that is relevant to your family…the story will do the work. By ‘do the work,’ I mean the story will help you get the result you desire: the commitment…and the support. Whatever it is you need from the person listening, the story is the way to make it clear, compelling, and powerful.”
In short: if we learn to tell the story well, the story will speak for itself and spark curiosity within our family about our ancestors.
2. It’s not the information that matters
As genealogists, we love the facts. We love the documents. We love bringing up the pension records and the land deeds and the obscure court proceedings that gave us the insights we needed into a particular ancestor. When we share our story we want to share all the information.
Lisa advises:
“Most people rely disproportionally on the power of information. Thus, when they compile data to create statistics, charts, and diagrams, they feel like they are armed with everything they need to make an impact…(but) storytelling is in a totally different realm from information and it’s powerful because it moves us. We feel something and that feeling makes us take the next step.”
Not that the information doesn’t matter. It does. But it should not be the focus of your story. The focus is on the elements that make your listener feel something.
3. It’s not the sensational stories that “sell”
I can’t even count how many times I have heard a genealogist dejectedly reporting that all of their ancestors were just regular law-abiding citizens. They feel like they don’t have a worthwhile story to tell. Lisa reassures us that the stories about regular people and their regular lives are the best kind of stories to tell to your family because they will see themselves in that story.
“…We should also celebrate the stories that we can all actually reach and relate to. These are the stories of everyday life that show how ‘normal’ people can experience unexpected learning and insight even though nothing particularly dramatic happened. It’s just normal life, but everyone can relate to it.
These are the stories that turn the mundane into magic. These are the stories we can all experience, craft, and tell. They are the stories that not only inspire us but also impact and change us.”
I could say more about what I am taking away from Lisa’s book, including some storytelling myths she points out that I fear are all too common in our genealogy storytelling, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
If you are at all interested in learning to tell your genealogy stories in a way that will “sell” to your family, Lisa Bloom’s book. Yes, it is technically a business book, but if you read it with your genealogy glasses on, I think you will find some incredible tips on how to tell your ancestor’s story more powerfully.
Before you can tell an ancestor’s story, you need to find them. Get started with our free guide on the next steps you should take to find an ancestor using DNA.
0 Comments