Our Story

Storytelling isn't being used for its killer feature: Connection.

Humans are not the strongest, not the fastest, not the best hunters, and not the most protected of animals. Everything that we have achieved has required collaboration and cooperation with other humans. Storytelling is the capability that we have used to connect with each other and create this modern world.

Before humans could write down what they'd learned, they had to share everything verbally. And if those lessons were going to be trusted, understood, and remembered then storytelling was the ultimate method of communication.

Combating The Isolation Pandemic

There are too many causes of the current isolation the world is experiencing right now. There's COVID-19, political division, conspiracy theories, and a whole heap of conflict throughout the world.

At YouTellYours we know that storytelling is the antidote for isolation, and we've proven that we can deliver it both in-person and online. If you want to see it in action come to participate in one of our public, online Connect & Repair events.

Connecting People With Storytelling

Storytelling is something we do almost without thinking, so why is it that we are so isolated?

When we started looking at this, we thought it would be simple. But it's not happening in our groups and teams. Why?

Our fears, our sabotaging self-judgment, and our constant focus on tangible performance results get in the way of sharing our stories and listening to others. It seems a little ironic that by focusing on a narrow view of performance we avoid doing the thing that would improve our collaboration and deliver that performance. 

When we focus, we seek to ignore the noise. 

The more that we focus, the more we risk ignoring more than just noise.

With too much focus... we stop listening entirely.

To create an event where people feel comfortable sharing even the most basic story with their colleagues requires a methodology. A methodology like the one we have developed over the last 5 years.

Our view is that a storytelling event for connection should:

• Be well organized and designed to create a comfortable experience.
• Ensure everyone gets to be heard. 
• Guide stories toward sharing what it's like to stand in your shoes and see the world as you do.

Who Needs Connection?

It seems obvious that everyone needs to connect, and the pandemic has made it even more obvious. A recent article said, "Gone are the small joys of life that once seemed like distractions, but that researchers say are important to keeping us engaged and preventing burnout: the coffees, the lunches, the gossip."

Online events bring some additional constraints, the main one being the length of time that is comfortable to be sat looking at a screen. We design our events to be approximately 90 minutes and no longer than 2 hours. 

We work best with small teams of up to 20 people, where collaboration and creativity are essential and a valuable differentiator of performance.

If you've hired during the pandemic and have never met your new staff in-person we are particularly keen to work with you. 

As we gain relief from the COVID-19 pandemic and teams get ready to return to offices and in-person meetings we have created a structure to help with the transition. We structured the program into 3 events, ideally spaced a few weeks or a month apart. The first connects, the second repairs, and the third creates a shared understanding of the desired future.

Find out if we are a good fit for your team by scheduling a quick call with Mark.