My composer and dear friend, Perry Moore, and I recently created and aired our first Blog Talk Radio show, "Story Matters... Touching Lives with Our Stories." It was very fun to create and provided a huge learning curve for us. We wanted the show to be a valuable teaching time and an expression of our partnered gifts. And we knew, in order to reach our listeners in the middle of their day and on the web that we had to be of substance and not fluff talk.
On April 30th at noon (Pacific Time), dozens of people in the U.S. were listening (that's very good for a new show on blog talk radio!), including friends in Israel. One of the wonders about Blog Talk Radio is the fact that it is archived, almost immediately (listening navigation is below the newsletter). We know many more have listened to the archived show. Thank you for taking the time to do that.
On a personal level, it was an astounding experience. I have done many radio interviews and my stories have been on radio, but I have never hosted a show. I broke a personal sound barrier! I took my desire to tell stories and coach others in storytelling to another level by bringing it into the mainstream forum of internet radio.
Now, breaking a personal sound barrier can be extraordinary if one is willing to take a little bit of a risk. Stay with me ... I am not talking about getting in a jet and blasting across the sky, but I'm using this as a metaphor for our communication with others. No doubt, you probably broke the sound barrier recently or a while ago. How you did it was very brave. You defeated and conquered. You rose above public speaking fears. You pushed aside the protection of excuses, and you directed your thoughts into an out loud and on purpose communication with one or more human beings.
You must understand, that in a culture where words are tweeted, texted, face-booked, and emailed, using our natural voices and faces (our very presence) to communicate things is becoming more and more uncommon in our relationships. One of my best forms of communication happens to be telling a story. And lately, I have felt a huge tug to help others tell their personal stories to family, friends, and those that I call "friendly strangers". I love helping a person realize the ways they can tell about their life in every day ways.
Our life is a tremendous resource when we look at its value in years of living story after story. Our experiences, relationships, work, vocation, play, crises of the heart and soul, education, heroes-heroines... (and more) provide us with a rich list of stories. We're not talking fiction either. We're talking about our incredible, true, life story. And when we hear someone else's incredible true, life story, we move through our own catalog of stories, seeking a connection. It's not always a conscious thing but more of a natural response as a listener. Even if we haven't experienced a similar story, the human story rings true and we find universal meaning and value—a connection.
Is there someone in your life that has never heard the story about the time you (fill in the blank here)? Have you been living in a powerful story recently, and it's not quite sure if it's ready for human consumption, but it just might be something you need to share with someone safe? Or maybe you definitely have few stories and you are ready for a listener.
There is a wonderful book called "To Be Told" by David B. Allender. He is a wonderful writer and reveals great big loads of his own personal story as he story coaches his reader's effort to tell others their story. He also teaches about being a receiver of the story. I love this:
When we remember a friend's birthday, we are putting our arms around an event and calling that person's life good. IF we go beyond holding to entering the story in order to explore and suffer its fullness, then we have the privilege of helping to write and edit the other person's story for the sake of its potential to reveal God.
He goes on to speak of the deep privilege of giving our story and receiving another person's story.
He didn't say it was "breaking the sound barrier" but it some ways it is. What was silently held is now shared out loud and on purpose.
Well, we'll talk some more on this. I promise. For now, you might want to take the time to listen to my archived show and mark our upcoming show, "Story Matters" as we'll be discussing the power of our family stories.
Please check out my summer listening stories that are on my listening site www.storynightwithmelea.com Families will especially enjoy some special things I have placed there.
As always, I'm grateful for you and your incredible story...Now go break a sound barrier! 
Our Blog Talk Radio show description: “Story Matters… Touching Lives with Your Story” with storyteller and author, Melea J. Brock, and her co-host, composer and songwriter, Perry Moore, will take listeners on a captivating journey into the subject of telling our own unique and personal stories… every day. Through guests, their own storytelling, perhaps a little music, meaningful conversation, and some light-hearted learning, you’ll be encouraged to dig into that well of your own life-story.
Our next "Story Matters" show is Friday, July 30, noon, Pacific Standard Mark your calendar! We'll be talking about touching lives with our family stories. I am hoping for some guests with great family stories--children and adults alike. Do you have a story?! Let me know melea@rightsideupstories.com
|
