A Story a day changes little lives.
An article by author Michael Morpungo in The Sunday Times last week.
Recounting how stories, now that he was starting school, were "no longer to be listened to and enjoyed, but to be tested on. They were used for the learning of punctuation and grammar, and for something called parsing, and for dreaded dictation. And everything was to be tested and marked.
Gone was the music in the words, the song in the poem, the fun and excitement in the story. I did learn one thing and I wasn't alone. I learnt failure, red marks slashed across my efforts, standing in the corner, the ruler, being kept in for detention. As with today's children, I was soon lost in a forest of fear."
Michael continues that when he became a teacher "there was little or no room in the curriculum for teachers to inspire, to bring their own joy of reading and love of books to their own students."
Only in about 30% of homes do parents read to their primary-school-age children every day.
He suggests "getting writers, illustrators, poets and storytellers into every school, as often as possible. Have parents and grandparents and people from the community come into school and tell their life stories."
Why?
Because illiteracy is so often the route to ignorance and bigotry.
In this age of no-attention, of fractured communities, of instant gratification and of superficial relationship, there is opportunity to heal this and to bring together like-minded people who will spread the word.
We have, here in the U.K, a BBC 500 Word competition for children between the ages of 5 and 13. Since its launch in 2011, 934,296 children's stories have been submitted. In the U.S.A, "It's All About Write!" is a successful short story contest for students in grades 6 to 12.
Here's my point for every estate agent and realtor.
Instead of the T.V ads and digital billboards that have little to no message, instead of the here-today-gone-tomorrow social media posts, or the leaflet drops/cold-calls that interrupt our busy lives, why not organize a children's short story competition?
Why not run a weekly, or monthly, storytellers event? Bringing in local accomplished writers to inspire your potential audience. Face to Face.
Kids will love it, despite their addiction to their screens. Parents will love it, providing as it does a welcome break from routine.
That face to face is key. Close physical proximity.
Getting to know each other and getting to know an agent who isn't trying to sell their services.
That's how trust is built.
Little by little, over time.
Not through "overkill, over time", as Keller Williams would have you believe.
It's a local community that you seek to serve.
What better way of serving than by educating their children, getting them to articulate their hopes and dreams and by building relationships?
If you need further proof, stories are far more memorable than facts and data. We remember who told us the story, where we were when we heard it, how it made us feel.
"Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works." - Virginia Woolf.
Tell me your life story and I can fill in the gaps. I'm smart enough to read between the lines and to form an opinion. Tell me you're a realtor, not only that but a great realtor and there's still something missing. That doubt isn't assuaged by more facts. It's improved by transparency.
So not only will a story a day change little lives, it will change older lives.
The power of story is completely lost, at present, on the real estate sector.
Those that embrace it will have their happy ending.
If I can help, drop me a line. My advice is always free.
Thanks, as always, for reading:)
Chris.
The post A Story A Day Changes Little Lives. first appeared on And so the story began.