Iris_chapter 11
Here is a quote that stuck out to me:
"...the number-one ingredient for good storytelling is a "big dose of humility". (...) Listening to these stories slows time, erases economic, social, and racial differences; and creates a visceral emotional connection (...)"
I know that this quote was in context of the Children's Miracle Network's radiothon but it reminded me of the speech the Dalai Lama gave in Bloomington last Saturday.
The things he talks about are really obvious and universal but he does it in a very humble way. He doesn't try to be the big religious leader (he actually is) and stresses that he is just a regular human being. He convinces through his calmness and in addition he has a nice sense of humor....a little bit dry I would even say. Other religious leaders try to "sell" their religion as the "best one" but he even detaches the topics from it at all. That is quite impressive....
Labels: Iris
posted by irantoni @ 2:31 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Without humility you would you become suspect of the speaker? How can you trust someone who does not possess this attribute. Yet,even if someone is humble, it does not make him truthful..does it?
We Americans (and possibly we Westerners -- ?) are big on individuality.
It's easier to listen to a speaker who is not trying to sell us on something. That sort of speech gives us the sense of freedom we find so crucial in making big decisions.
Sometimes when I listen to a speaker unlike the Dalai Lama -- someone who's trying to sell me something -- I try to figure out what inside that person makes him feel so passionately.
Evangelism, free will, control, prayer --- they're all signs of life.
I think that humility is absolutely important in storytelling... just as it is in 'real life.' A lot of what Simmons talked about throughout the text was how to get a listener to trust you, to let there guard down. A little humility can go a long way in this regard.
I think humility goes both ways in storytelling. It is very important for the speaker to be humble as Simmons stated. But I think it is equally important that the listener have some measure of humility. If you are listening to someone and all you can think is how much more you know than them or how goofy they sound, well, you aren't really listening are you? Going into a story with an open mind and accepting that the person telling the story might have something to teach you is a big part of getting the most out of a story.
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