It took me few seconds to answer Tina Tomiyama’s e-mail. “What a great idea, Tina!” I said. “Let me know how I can help.”
Now, when my dear friend and mentor Tina says “Jump,” I’d say “How high?” Tina always makes you jump to your success. That time, in 2011, I jumped and didn’t even ask! I knew that her idea of creating a Storytelling-oriented club would be a huge success. Tina and I became the club’s Co-Sponsors.

It only took 11 days, in April 2011, for us to gather signed applications from 25 members, which usually takes months.
On Tuesday, May 10, 2011, our Lt. Governor Marketing at the time, David Kitchen, e-mailed us: “It’s official”! In only 1 month, StoryMasters became a Chartered club.

What was the secret for this huge and speedy success? It’s just “Storytelling”!

People love to know about other people and hear their stories. In fact, our hearts and brains have been hard-wired on storytelling since we were children, and since our ancestors lived in caves. A well-told story grabs our attention, fascinates us, and moves us.

Stories help us clarify and communicate our vision, values, and successes. They’re more believable than statistics. In fact, good stories have an emotional content that enables listeners to connect with the teller, while making meaning based on their own experiences. Stories don’t just tell us about a situation or an individual; they show us.

In business, Leaders have found storytelling to be a highly effective management tool.

In movies and TV, it’s all about storytelling! I’ve had the chance to experience this since 2017, when I started to work, part time, as Media Programmer for TV Santa Barbara. When previewing the shows before I schedule them on our channels, I see how hosts and guests use storytelling techniques to better communicate their message. In media training, the first technique that TV producers and directors learn is to create a storyboard for their shows.

The power of storytelling was the reason why so many members, including myself, joined our StoryMasters club so quickly in 2011.

Today, eight years later, our past and new club members continue to learn or teach the best techniques for crafting compelling stories, and continue to share their brilliant stories that entertain us, teach us, and sure inspire us.

Happy Eighth Birthday, Dear StoryMasters!

Hiba Hamdan, DTM
Speaker, Speaking Coach, and TV Programmer