Storytelling & Psychological Safety-Part 1

Making the Process Transparent and Voluntary

Not everyone wants to share their story, at least not at the time you want them to share it. As a matter of fact, not everyone feels safe to share personal details. Why? Storytelling has different meanings associated with it based on previous experience. There is a complex multitude of factors involved in someone’s readiness to share their story, including previous trauma, cultural differences etc. For example, someone who has experienced persecution, such as interrogation tactics being used against them (e.g., as a political refugee or a victim of police violence) is likely to view the act of sharing personal details with unknown others differently than someone who associates sharing these details with enjoyable social events, such as late evening cocktail parties that turn strangers into friends. 

Thus, it may be that by the time members of your community or organization are at your door, they carry past traumas associated with sharing personal information. Knowing that the thought of sharing one’s story can have different visceral reactions and mental images associated with it, depending on which end of the power spectrum one resides at, is essential for leaders who are well-intentioned.  

Continuous transparency from leaders and full autonomy given to storytellers are crucial to communicate a commitment to psychological safety. The social dynamics inherent in interpersonal interactions shaped by power differentials and cultural differences may put (future) storytellers in a difficult position as they may want to decline but feel (indirectly) coerced. Leaders need to be aware of such power dynamics and exercise cultural humility (more on this on a different post) and/or seek out expert advice by professionals with lived experience.

 Considering potential past experiences of community/organization members, the entire process, from preparing for a story-telling session to the aftermath needs to be guided by continuous informed consent. In other words, prospective storytellers must be given all of the information needed in order to make an autonomous decision at every step of the process. Consent needs to be ongoing, meaning the story-teller should be able to withdraw their participation at any time. 

Each step in the whole storytelling cycle needs to be committed to completely voluntarily. Transparency and commitment from leaders should mark each step of the process, for example:

  • Storytellers should be aware where their stories will be shared and with whom. 
  • Storytellers should have options available to them with regards to format/platform and should be able to remain anonymous if so desired. 
  • Leaders must thoroughly think about and communicate the purpose behind asking people to share their stories. For example, how are you actively committing to utilizing this opportunity to make the collective space more inclusive? Have you made this purpose and associated strategy transparent and the process participatory? 
  • Consult the pdf guide shared in the storytelling intro post for additional questions/points to consider.

If leaders have no ongoing consent process in place and do not yet have a sound strategy for how storytelling will benefit not only the folks who receive the stories but also those who tell them, then the footing is already imbalanced. Remember, if the page is uneven, the ink gets smudged… Folks in leadership positions that are comfortable with sharing first, especially stories that weave in themes of humility, imperfection, and openness towards learning can set a powerful tone for safety, especially when those with less organizational power feel hesitant to take the first step. I once had a CEO of a large organization tell me, “well, I have no problem with being transparent around here, so why should anyone else be hesitant?”. We can learn what not to do from those who act out of unacknowledged privilege.  Leaders with good intentions initiate to gesture safety rather than grandiosity.

While transparency and consent are crucial, having these without the necessary openness to hear diverse stories beyond what our own cultural template dictates, threatenes the psychological safety needed for stories to flourish. Click here for more on that in Part 2.