It was all about the story
I recall when my now-teenagers were babies, and I was trying to get them to eat. “Did I tell you about the time…” I would start. Sometimes, for lack of imagination, I would talk about the true sagas presented by my employment cases. Engrossed in the narration, their little mouths would absentmindedly open to oblige my mush-filled spoon. It was all about the story.
We are wired to communicate through stories. The universal use of metaphors is simply the technique of using one story, with which the listener might be familiar, to explain another story, that the listener may not familiar with. Our entire culture, from social media, to watching the news, to shows, movies, and even gossip, proves our incessant need to share and consume experiences.
Work focusing on inclusion and belonging is based on hearing the story of another. Someone with a different story.
We are actually built to share and process each other’s stories. All we have to do is listen.