A friend introduced me to The Moth. I went to a live event, StorySLAM where 10 volunteers, randomly drew from a bag, told a 5 minute story. I loved it – the sincerity of the stories, the energy of the room, and the humor of the host. I noticed a first-timer night with the theme ‘Temptation’. I like to try new things and stretch myself…
I decided to ‘play’ with the topic: temptation is usually associated with negative or naughty feelings yet can it be positive? I think so and I’m going to tell my ‘American fantasy’. I practiced in front of the mirror then rushed to the venue. After I filled the volunteer form and heard from the staff that so far 13 people signed-up, I paused… ‘Do I really want to do this?’ I bite my lips and handed-in the form.
The hostess, a comedian, quickly got us on-board with laughters. The first speaker shared an intricate story, a fight of her feelings with the church and family tradition. We gave her a big applause for the courage. The hostess took another piece of paper from the bag and announced ‘Let’s welcome Jane…’ The world went silent for a few seconds until my water bottle fell to the ground. Was it me? Ah, it’s too late to hide now, I went on stage…
‘When hearing the word ‘temptation’, what came to your mind?’ I asked the audience ‘Was it being nosy, wanting to hear your brother’s conversation with his girlfriend?’ audience laughed, a good start. I continued ‘or when everybody else at the party had a drink, your friend asked you if you want one, meanwhile you knew you’re under-aged‘…then came the twist ‘Could temptation be positive?’ I paused, ‘I think so, let me tell you a story…’ I came to America with the dream/ temptation to learn ‘the magic of branding’: I wanted to work in marketing even though I didn’t have experience, network, or citizenship/ green card. I took the audience up ‘n down the journey and I could feel people laughing and holding their breath. I closed by suggesting to the audience next time when they face a choice or temptation, ask two questions – would it give them opportunities to try, learn something new and different? or would it add values to customers, teams, community or fill the blank? If the answer is Yes & Yes, go for it!
I received a big applause and felt good of what I’ve done, though the scores were a bit disappointing. Well, I did it and enjoyed the evening. The winner, hands-down nailed it and I admired her courage to share a journey of conservative upbringing, one-night stand leading to discovery of her true self and honesty with her husband, and divorce. The next day I chatted with a good friend about the experience and realized what I did wrong…
Story shares a human experience; it doesn’t need a lesson, neither a preach. What I gave might be a decent speech but too much telling for a story. I’ll be like a moth, learning from this experience, honing my craft, and telling a better story down the road!