by Thomas Cieslak

Crap.

The interview got off to a late start.  Worse, the story’s subject is only responding to your questions with single sentences in-between claims he can’t understand why you want to interview him and that he’s “just not that interesting.”  Your hopes he would be as boisterous on the record as he is in the breakroom are dashed as you review a near-blank sheet of notes.  His story of overcoming childhood adversity can inspire others, if only you can get it out of him.

Gathering information to form into stories, known as story mining, can be the most frustrating and difficult part of the production process.  It is often the most intimate part of storytelling, involving the expression of unrefined, raw and emotionally-fueled thoughts.  If reluctant to share details, a story’s subject may believe they are uninteresting, suspicious of the interviewer’s motivations or outright unwilling to speak for fear of standing out among their peers.

It takes an artful touch as a communicator to extract meaningful information during a story mining interview.  When faced with adversity in this basic stage of storytelling, employing the abilities of a coach and the discernment of a car buyer can make the difference between robotic-responses or the unearthing of storytelling gold.

You You You are Not Boring Boring Boring 

THE CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE CAN SILENCE ANY STORY’S SUBJECT

Army First Sgt. Sandrea Cruz thought nobody cared about what she did.  The leader of over 150 men and women specializing in logistics and supply operations for the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), she did not actively seek praise or recognition.[1]

Cruz and I spoke at length on several occasions before she agreed to an interview.  Each time, she voiced the opinion her role in the lives of soldiers was nothing extraordinary, one many women conducted each day without the shine of the spotlight.  It was only when I explained how her story could inspire younger women in the armed services to aspire to leadership positions did she agree to be featured.  Through coaching to recognize the power of her story, Cruz provided powerful testimony regarding the influence her father, a Green Beret, and other women soldiers had in her development as a leader.

As communicators, learning to encourage others to tell their stories helps overcome their “Curse of Knowledge,” a difficulty of sharing knowledge with others.[2]  Many people falsely believe what they do is every-day knowledge and find it difficult to believe anybody would be interested in hearing their story.  Helping these individuals understand how their story, when passed through the megaphone of media, can assist and inspire others works to dispel the “curse of knowledge.”

Walk-Away Power; Not Just a Tool for Astute Car Buyers

BE WILLING TO DISENGAGE FROM THE STORYTELLING TIMELINE TO STRENGTHEN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Sometimes a story’s subject succumbs to more than just the “Curse of Knowledge” before their interview and suddenly seems apprehensive and anxious.  The only thing you know for certain – they do not feel comfortable proceeding along the storytelling timeline.  In this instance, communicators can learn a lot from an astute car buyer.  The author’s willingness to “walk away” from the goal of story completion tangibly demonstrates genuine concern for the wellbeing of the story’s subject.

Many individuals participate in the storytelling process with the belief the best interests of a key public will be served by telling their story.  Their confidence will fracture if that belief is violated and the bottom-line interests of the organization or author begin to overshadow the key public’s.  Disengaging from story development and helping an interviewee work through these concerns builds confidence in the process, strengthens the subject-author relationship and can even improve the credibility of the author.  Resumption of storytelling efforts occurs when the story’s subject, not the author, feels comfortable with the conflict’s resolution.

Story Mining – It’s Messy

Mix raw emotion, unprocessed thoughts and the unpredictability of human beings with the expectations and deadlines of supervisors and story mining quickly becomes messy.  As communicators, we must encourage our story’s subjects to share while being mindful not to sacrifice their trust or invalidate their concerns for the sake of the bottom line.

[1] Capt. Thomas Cieslak, “First sergeant inspired by Green Beret father to lead Soldiers,” Army.mil, April 2, 2015, accessed October 9, 2016, https://www.army.mil/article/145683/First_sergeant_inspired_by_Green_Beret_father_to_lead_Soldiers

[2] Chip Heath and Dan Heath, “The Curse of Knowledge,” Harvard Business Review, December 2006, accessed October 9, 2016, https://hbr.org/2006/12/the-curse-of-knowledge

Roaring Lamb, husband, father, hobbyist photographer and military officer, Maj. Thomas Cieslak’s photos and stories appear in numerous national news outlets and publications. Currently, he is a student in Georgetown University’s Public Relations and Corporate Communications master’s program. The thoughts and opinions expressed in his writings are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense and the United States Army.