Real Connection via Story Sharing

?#?WorldStoryTellingDay ?#?StoriesFromTheHeart

Stories are how we connect and relate to one another.  Everyone has a story to tell, that has the power to touch the heart of those who hear it. Sharing real experiences, bravery, vulnerability, joy, achievement and even sadness, is relatable and can entertain, uplift or educate the audience. 

Stories From The Heart Live Storytelling Events, founded by Lisa Evans, create a safe and encouraging space where people can come together to experience the joy of live storytelling. It’s about stepping up and giving it a go!  Whether as a story Listener of a Story Sharer the benefit is mutual. Stories From the Heart Live Events will be held several times each year with ticket sales going to charity.

I attended with the view to being one of the story sharers.  I find it easy to get up and speak about content marketing, personal branding and LinkedIn, but telling a story from the heart in a meaningful way was a much bigger challenge.  I had an idea, then another idea, and changed again.  By the time I had my idea it was a little too close to the event to practice the delivery in order to take the audience through the story arc.  Oh, I didn't mention that we had 6 minutes to tell our story.  So feeling a little pressured, I decided to be an audience member who gave a pop up story sharing one of the most embarrassing things that has happened to me.  (Feel free to ask me what it was!) I loved being at the event, listening to the stories of my friends and look forward to the next event.

The beauty of this event was the diversity in stories and the open-hearted sharing and included stories of doing something out of the comfort zone, to tackling health issues, abuse, loss, love, and lessons learnt.  

So who is Lisa Evans?

“As a Public Speaking and Storytelling coach I help people use their voice as a powerful tool to share their stories to inspire and create change. For the past six years I have immersed myself in a transformational speaking and storytelling journey following  a defining moment which meant  I had to leave my 20+ year career as a midwife.  Following this difficult time in my life I had to relearn, redefine and rediscover my purpose.

I dedicated much of my spare time over 5 years learning all I could on the art and science of public speaking and storytelling, becoming a Certified World Class Speaking and Storytelling Coach, a TEDxPerth speaker coach and a community ambassador for RUOK?"

"We all have stories to share and some of the most compelling stories are those told by ordinary people, living ordinary lives and through the power of storytelling making an extraordinary impact on others.”  - Lisa Evans   www.speakingsavvy.com.au  

Lisa was interviewed by Geoff Hutchison of 720 ABC Perth, listen here:  

Why listen to stories?

“Every person has a story and every story was varied and interesting and came from the heart. Everyone including pop up stories left you with an upbeat feel.” - Sharyn McCaskey 

“When a bunch of people come together to share their laughter and their pain miracles happen. We become aware of how similar we are and how we are joined together in this human experience. Stories connect and stories heal and that is exactly what I experienced at Stories From The Heart. Real people telling real stories of joy and stories of pain and vulnerability! When people connect in this way healing takes place, connections are formed and courage and love wins the day! Thank you Lisa for creating this wonderful event and for creating this nurturing, healing and loving space for us.” - Salome Schillack 

What was lovely, was that everyone in the room was present, which is a mean feat in today’s digitally distracted world.  The stories were short and full of passion, which meant there was no time to check your Facebook messages.  There were a few photos taken to celebrate the moments, but when each person had the stage, the audience were captivated, as each speaker revealed a bit of their heart and soul.

Why would you share a personal story to a group of people?

Sharron Attwood said yes to sharing her story because “the idea was a little scary - and I needed to shake things up.  The event was a great showcase for the different ways to tell a story - and it certainly showed me how I connect with stories as I already knew the story tellers though my business networks - but had not heard them share stories this way.   I’m used to speaking on my area of expertise in business - so went all in and shared a story about one of my children. I was nervous about the content and my ability as a story teller - but I must say - when it was done - I just wanted to do it again!” 

We often get to know people through different aspects of life, but through sharing personal stories, we can connect on another level, which equally applies to our professional relationships.

Sharron explains “I have a new found understanding of how sharing stories connects us - and I am looking to incorporate a lot more story telling in my presentations from here on in. The format and rigid timeframes made for a great event - and I’m looking forward to attending again - as a listener and appreciator of stories.”

Jenish Pandya said “Speaking at the event that Lisa put together was a really great experience, it provided a safe space to share my story and convey my message in a way that made a difference.”

“I was so touched and moved by the beautiful stories I heard at Lisa's World Story Telling Event. I couldn't help but raise my hand to share a story at the next event- and you'll learn why this is surprising and unexpected when you hear my story.” - Katrina Davy

Proceeds are donated to charity

Everyone speaking and attending the event became part of a bigger movement. The inaugural event raised over $600 for Kiva.org. which was invested in a project to buy farming equipment for a group of Cambodian women.

Kiva.org is a micro lending organisation that provides loans to members of third world communities so they may set up or grow a business. One their business is established the loans are repaid to Kiva and the donation then gets reissued. It really is the gift that keeps on giving which is the same principle of the gift of a story is. 

The 8 June event will also support Kiva.org and in September there will be a Men’s Edition of Stories from the Heart to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Australia. MALE STORYTELLERS WANTED contact Lisa for a chat 

The vision for Stories From the Heart is to continue to reach out and touch the heart of another with the gift of a story. In addition, Stories From the Heart founder Lisa Evans offers Storytelling workshops for executives and entrepreneurs, 1:1 story coaching as well as facilitated live storytelling sessions for community groups and corporates. 

Next event

Wednesday June 8th 5:30pm
Only a few tickets left... BOOK HERE

See the event photos from Pille Qrabat of Qrabat Photography. (Click the image to view the gallery.)

“To become a better storyteller you first need to become a story catcher”

How many hidden story gems are just below the surface, that have powerful, transferable messages in perceivably ordinary things? Adding stories to your speaking or training to communicate your message in a more powerful way.

Find and formulate your stories.  Seek guidance if you aren’t sure how to craft the story. Book a 1:1 Story Mining Session with Lisa Evans to uncover the gems in your stories and refine them into pure gold.

Get your copy of Lisa’s free Booklet 26 Top Tips of Public Speaking here

Read Lisa's article about this event here.

Are you leveraging your stories in your online content?  If this is something that you need help with, then book a session with me to map it out.  Or attend a LinkedIn session to learn how to leverage this medium to share more stories:

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND PROGRAMS: https://wildfiresm.eventbrite.com/

Hands on Profile building workshops:
Perth 26th May, 30 June & 25 Aug 
Bunbury 7th June 
Company Page & Ad Strategy Workshop 
Perth 28 July 

Online 12 Week LinkedIn Transformation Program 
Starting 1 June and 20 July