On the Fertile Universe site, business storyteller Michael Margolis said,
"In my journey to become a better storyteller, I’ve had to learn how to become a better story listener. The responsibility is on me to become a better listener by listening to others' stories. As I develop a deeper intimate understanding of their world, I can share in a way that better relates to another’s story (i.e. it's not always about me!). You can do this, too. Channel your inner anthropologist, and go observe and listen."
He also offered a five-step method for building a story people can relate to--he's talking about people as consumers here but it could also apply to other contexts:
"1. Buy a digital video camera (about $100 now!) – and go around asking a bunch of people the same question.
2. If you’re in a big company, ask co-workers a question about mission or passion.
3. If you’re more on your own, go out in public, or better yet where your customers gather, and ask them ONE question about their lives.
4. In either case, the question has to be something that people will have energy around. If there’s energy, you’ll collect great stories.
5. Finally, look at the patterns of what you hear. What is the common storyline or variations on a theme? If you can find where people agree, build your own story around that. You can also learn a lot about the status quo story you might be up against."
An interesting experiment! If you do it, please let me know the results.
(There's a lot about how to craft stories in my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)
