Using Curiosity to Power Up Your Storytelling Game

I’m running for 6th-grade student body president and it’s a big day for me. When it’s my turn to make my speech, I walk up the stairs to the podium on stage with my script in hand. I’ve worked and re-worked this speech for hours and hours, day after day, just for this moment.

The entire school auditorium is full as I begin…  And as I get further and further into my speech, I look up from my paper to see that the students aren’t paying attention. One kid named Stu is even asleep in the front row!

Before I even realize what I’m doing, I pick up my speech, crumple it up, and throw it on the floor. I start speaking from my heart, saying all the things I’d like to promise them if they vote for me: longer recesses, no homework, free ice cream.

I finally get a reaction from my fellow students, ending in a standing ovation when they hear about the free ice cream. I continue to tell them that I can’t promise any of that, but I can promise them to be the best president I’m capable of by upholding school policies.

No one hears that though; they have their mind set on free ice cream every day after school. I win in a landslide.

That’s how I became Student Body President and more importantly, how I learned a pivotal life lesson: When you speak from the heart, you can wake people up and change the game.

My special guest on the Storytelling Podcast, Cathy Scharetg is incredible at changing the game through curiosity. In this episode, we discuss storytelling as a way to draw people into your world or allow them to let you into theirs. And along the way, Cathy answers questions like:

What does it really mean to be curious? And what happens when you allow yourself to be curious about the world around you?

• Why stories allow you to get into people’s good graces
• Why curiosity is so much more than just a human characteristic
• How being a better “asker”  can change your life considerably

Cathy Scharetg is a TEDx Presenter, certified Career Development Specialist, and the director and head coach of Curiosity Coach. She believes that curiosity illustrates what’s possible, collapses your biases, and catapults you just beyond your comfort zone to where gold lies. She’s seen leaders become master-level influencers and coaches them to use their curiosity as a catalyst for connection, change, and innovation.

As an accredited public speaker, teacher, and personal coach, Cathy helps thought leaders worldwide transition from overtaxed systems and antiquated ideas to new insights, impact, and clarity. She’s also a certified Rewilding Coach, Learning and Development advisor for One Up One Down, and president of the When Women Speak chapter in San Francisco. In addition, she’s served as a licensed Realtor for over 25 years, holding board and leadership positions in the process.