I’m So Ugly

No little girl should think she’s ugly, but if she does there has to be a reason why. Here’s why that matters.

Hey storytellers.

There’s a video going around of a young girl saying she’s ugly and her mom (I think it’s her mom) getting very upset.

When the girl said, “I’m so ugly,” her mom snapped with, “Don’t say that. You’re so pretty.” (paraphrased)

Then the girl said, “What?” As in, “What’s wrong with what I said,” not, “What do you mean?”​

Here’s the rub…

The girl has a narrative in her head that she’s ugly and to her that’s normal.

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You know what her mom didn’t ask? “Why?”

Why does the girl feel that way?

There’s an origin to every story and it’s the most important part.

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The issue isn’t that she thinks she’s ugly, it’s why she thinks she’s ugly.

“No you’re not,” is practical and rational. We humans are anything but.

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When crafting stories for sales and marketing, it’s easy to fall into the “you’re wrong” trap.

Instead, lead with a reaction of interest and curiosity.

What you learn will allow you to empathize and figure out how to communicate in a way that either short-circuits, or leans into, that irrationality.

It’s called Behavioral Storytelling and it’s a game-changer (more on that in the coming weeks).

P.S. I’m not criticizing the mom in this video. Her reaction was natural and, heck, I may have reacted exactly the same way. I’m just using this as an example of how the “why” of a story is much more powerful than that “what.”

Thanks for reading.

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Cheers and remember, success finds those who tell compelling stories.