What's Your Story?
If you work with historic places, you’re sitting on a gold mine of stories.
That’s really good news, because as you may know, we humans think in story. That’s how we remember information and make sense of the world (as much as that’s possible).
Every historic place in the world has at least four basic stories:
Origin: When, why, and by whom it was built; why it is where it is; why it looks/functions like it does
Impact: What’s happened there; how its use has changed along with the community; how different generations have added their own layers of history
People: Who designed it; who had it built; who’s used it; who uses it now; who wants to/could use it going forward
Status: How it’s being used now; what condition it’s in; if it’s threatened, why, what’s at stake, and what we can do about it
Of course, these stories are closely interwoven, but they can each serve distinct purposes and audiences. They add up to the bigger story of the place and why it matters. Together, the stories of places form larger narratives and (dare I say) truths about who we are as humans, neighbors, citizens of the world.
We tell stories of places all the time, in all types of ways. But how do you tell your own story—the story of your business or organization?
What do you say when someone asks what you do?
What’s the first thing people see on your website or social media feed?
What do your clients, partners, members, donors, board members, volunteers say about you?
If you don’t tell your own story, someone else will. And they’ll get it wrong.
The nuance and complexity of our work in heritage conservation (historic preservation) make it easy to misunderstand—and even easier to ignore altogether.
You can think through your own story the same as you would that of a historic place:
Origin: Why does your business/organization exist? Who created it, when, and why?
Impact: What problem do you solve? How have you improved your community and/or your clients’ lives? How has your work changed over time to meet new needs?
People: Who does the work, and why? What’s their passion or motivation? Who uses what you offer, and what do they think about it? Who could use what you offer going forward?
Status: What’s going on with your business/organization right now? How are you adapting to our new world and meeting this historic moment? What do you need in order to keep doing your amazing work? What’s at stake, and what can we do about it?
Again, these stories overlap, and you don’t need to tell all of them all the time (in fact, it’s better if you don’t).
But the pieces—conveyed with clarity and consistency—fit together into a very important whole: the story of why you get up in the morning and how you’re making the world a better place.
This story will help you find and engage the people key to your success, because they already believe in what you do.