Brighton Summit Blog: Storytelling. My time with Sam Knowles and some flipping clever folk

I opted to attend the Powerful and Purposeful Storytelling for Businesses workshop because I am a storyteller. So are you. We are all storytellers. It’s just that we have different stories to tell and we use different channels to share them. Whether you’re aware of it, or confident about it, you’re a storyteller. Why? Because we all have a story. Our stories make us who we are, and I for one LOVE hearing other people’s stories because it allows me to understand who they are a whole lot better.

Storytelling is part of my job. For people to understand and engage with Martlets Hospice, I tell the stories of hope, purpose and possibility experienced by patients and families across the city. I dispel myths about hospice care and I focus on the life-changing care we deliver. In my personal life I’ve been blogging for over 9 months on the traumatic, ridiculous, life-enhancing experience that breast cancer has given me. It’s a story and a half, I can tell ya!

What I learned from Sam

Every day’s a school day, and my time listening and workshopping with Sam and clever contemporaries at the Summit was no exception. His focus on the human side of storytelling, humanity and empathy struck a deep chord. Data, research and evidence are critical to informing and gaining your audience’s respect and trust. However, those that draw us in and stay with us are those that touch our hearts, give us some feels, remind us of something or feel familiar. The ones that balance the rational with the emotional stick. They’re the golden-ticket stories. Our heads are full of data, some of which are important, but the stories that stay with us are the ones that spark emotion while being grounded in clear, strong stats – what Sam referred to has stories carrying the ‘golden thread’.

Here’s a short narrative with some numbers to end with.

On a sunny Friday in October, I went to the Brighton Summit. As I arrived at the door, I looked up and saw the first of many warm, open, friendly faces, Vicky’s face to be precise. I walked in to what I estimate to be around 400 people, chatting, connecting, eating yummy mini breakfasts and chugging coffee. As I worked my way through the crowd (to find coffee) I spotted a mini snail and tapped to donate £3 to Martlets. I then had 11 full-on cuddles (brilliantly un-business-like) from people I haven’t seen in months. During all the hugging and reconnecting, I only spilt a quarter of a cup of coffee on myself. I swapped contact details with 6 people, chatted to at least 20 people and had one shot of a juice that was very gingery and yummy. I had one more coffee, I listened, I laughed, I spoke, and I took notes.

In amongst all of this I had one minute to hear one man’s story of the moment he first held his adopted daughter in his arms when she was just 6 weeks old. In that minute I saw pure love and I knew that I really like this man. I had assumed that he’s a pretty good egg given the job that he does, but today I met a very human man, and that one minute meant I’ll never forget him.

One happy woman returned home tired but inspired. I intend to keep looking up, scaling up and sharing stories that are remarkable and memorable. Until next year fellow Summit goers, keep looking up!

Emma Knight is Head of Partnerships & Major Donor Giving for Martlets Hospice. She is also a writer, sharing her honest, funny, and inspiring story at www.queenemmaknight.com

Thanks to Emma for writing this blog.

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk