Story Reaches Where Medicine Can't
Kelly Swanson is one of the most creative (and hard working) speakers I know. She’s the master of using the power of storytelling to communicate, to solve problems, to relate, and to lead. When she recently shared her experience with nurses in leadership, I was not surprised to learn she has applied her expertise in the power of storytelling to the nursing profession; I was, rather, just chagrined that I had not realized it. I was impressed by her revelations and thought these ideas important to share with our healthcare clients.
Kelly Swanson, CSP, CPAE
Story Reaches Where Medicine Can’t
Kelly recently spent the day in Daytona, Florida working her magic with nurses in leadership.
“Nursing groups are extra special to me because of my own experiences with nurses touching my life,” she told me, “And I consider this a chance to love on the people who have made a difference to me. I also love speaking to people in leadership roles because I believe my topic, Storytelling, is one of the most overlooked and underused skill sets in leadership.
“I could feel the spirit of warmth, compassion, eagerness, and intelligence as soon as I entered the room. My client greeted me with a hug, which is exactly how I like to do business.
“Their theme was racing, and what fun that was! The team wore racing outfits, the room was decked out in checkered flags, and I (of course) made an entrance for the closing keynote, riding up in a race car, dressed as their pit crew. I had so much fun taking the racing theme and weaving it into my message. And even more fun doing it in tennis shoes.
“How does racing fit the topic of Storytelling, you ask? Well, every race car driver needs to take a moment to stop their car, pull over, and have the pit crew fill them back up with gas. Storytelling was the gas I was giving them to help fuel them for the road ahead.”
Here are the three main reasons Kelly says that Storytelling can benefit nurses in healthcare and the ones who lead them:
1. Resilience, Stress Relief, Passion & Purpose: Nobody talks to you more than you do. That internal script accompanies every single thing that you do and every moment you are in. The story you write drives that car. If that narrative is angry, toxic, or always pointing out the bad in yourself and your world, then it will impact everything you feel, believe, and do. You have the power to frame the world you are in by taking a look at that story and rewriting it if necessary.
2. Team Engagement and Education: Just as you can frame the way you see your world and your work, with storytelling you can change the way your team sees their world and their work. Stories can be used to illustrate values in action, validate your employees and their importance in the bigger picture, and cast a vision of the positive aftereffects of change so that they navigate it with courage and excitement instead of bitterness, and defeat.
3. Patient Care: The way we see that patient is the way we treat that patient. You can’t care about the people you serve unless you really do care about the people you serve. Leaders can use a story to humanize the patient to the team, and in reverse, they can use a story to humanize that nurse to the patient. When an emotional connection is created between leader and nurse, and between nurse and patient, it makes every transaction more powerful. Story reaches the place medicine can’t.
“So as you race through your own job, whether you are in healthcare or not,” Kelly said, “remember to take those important moments to pull the car over and check the gas. Story is the fuel you need – and it doesn’t cost you anything. No matter what lies ahead, you can face it with passion, purpose, and possibility, if you know how to frame it.”
The Rest of the Story
When Kelly mentioned that she felt a special connection with nurses because of her personal experiences, I asked her to share. She told me that her father died last year and had been in the hospital frequently so that she and her family spent a lot of time with nurses.
“Most of them were kind and attentive, which always surprised me knowing how much they experienced in a day,” she said, “and that they would remain so patient. But there was this one nurse I will never forget.
“He came in and asked us all the routine questions that the others had asked on the shift before. But he also asked other questions – about who we were – the three daughters and mom sitting in the room watching his every move. He asked about our professions and found out that we were a lawyer, a speaker, and a stay-at-home mom, which brought out all kinds of jokes.
“Then he turned to my dad and asked him what kind of music he liked. ‘The Eagles,’ my dad replied.
“Within minutes, this nurse created a playlist of my dad’s favorite songs and programmed them in so that they were playing from the computer beside his bed. Dad even joined in for a couple of air guitar solos!
“In that small gesture, he transformed from nurse to friend – to all of us. My father was so touched by his gesture, that when he got home, he found one of his drawings (my father was an amazing artist) of a school of fish (the nurse had talked about how much he loved the sea back in his own country). He had us wrap it and hand deliver it to him. Because of a nurse, my dad found comfort at the end of his life and made a new friend.
“Nurses have shown me that it’s not the big moments that really matter; it’s the small ones, the moments that you step into when you think you’re just doing your job, and you have no idea that what you did will be remembered forever. For that, I am very grateful.”
Emotional Connection
What you just experienced in the sharing of Kelly’s story is an emotional connection, one that can’t be made when simply sharing information. No matter what your job, you will have far more impact and influence if you know how to create an emotional connection with your listener. Using the power of storytelling is the tool that accomplishes that.
Kelly Swanson is the master not only of sharing the power of stories but also of teaching people how to find stories from real life, craft them, and tell them where and when and how they will make a difference.? Her expertise could make an important contribution to your group or community. You can learn more here on our website, give me a call at 503-699-5031 or email [email protected]
As you gather with family and friends this holiday season, I hope you’ll share some stories with each other for your well being and those you love.
Barbara
The Speak Well Being Group is a specialized speakers bureau, focusing on health and wellness for all types of organizations that want to foster health and well being for their employees, members, clients, and in their communities.
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