I’ll admit it.
While I have, in the past, received great reviews regarding this newsletter, it is a struggle for me to know what to write. And I was a bit behind schedule in February of 2020 when the initial lock-down occurred. The first thing that happened was an email I received from my then largest client letting me know she would be terminating my services.
I saw that one coming.
And I thought: “Ok. I don’t know if my business is going to survive whatever this is, so I don’t know what to say to people. I mean how do you write a newsletter about storytelling, public speaking and communication, when people aren’t unsure when they will be back in public again?”
I will say, the pivot came fast! Leave it to my non-traditional improv community to, well, improvise. and figure out ways to take the tool we value so much and apply it to zoom.
I remember one day about a week or two in, when I felt happy that I had so many zoom calls set up. Something to keep me busy! It was a 12 hour day.
Then I felt exhausted.
I have now lost count on how many zoom workshops I have taught. Bi-monthly improv started attracting people from all over the world – including India, England, Latvia and Portugal.
One-on-one and group public speaking sessions. Teaching Storytelling for Sales, Storytelling for Change, and lots and lots of Unconscious Bias trainings as well as my own learning the tool of DISC.
And, thankfully the feedback was – “this was one of the best online experiences.”
Good to know that 15+ years of instructional design and facilitation experience lead to something engaging – no matter how delivered.
But I have never been without the knowledge that the people on the other side of the screen, whether friends, colleagues or strangers were going through something. Because, well - pandemic.
And I know I was. There were stretches of time – especially this past February – where I was just waiting for my vaccine and couldn’t even handle talking to people who weren’t part of my workday. That included my closest friends. And my closest friends said the same. It just seemed like winter would never end. And it didn’t help that we received the most snow of the season that month.
On the first day of Spring, I had had my first vaccination for a bit over 2 weeks and I looked out the window at the day – I don’t even remember if it was sunny or cloudy, but it I know it was Spring! - and said to no one – “We made it.”
And then came the “delta” variant.
Now Summer – which seemed as if it had barely come - is gone.
But I am happy to report that StoryMatters IS STILL HERE!!
We gained new clients and grew with them, created new courses and opportunities, and that client I mentioned above? Just called back to say: “I’m looking forward to working with you again, I’m just trying to find where to best use your skills.”
And I can’t wait to work with them again!
I hope that this newsletter finds you well. There will be more to come.
And in the meantime, is there a way we might serve you?
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