Fact: the human brain cannot comprehend large numbers.
There’s a tipping point where statistics become meaningless to the mind. The reason for this is simple: statistics are impersonal.
However, do you know what the human brain can comprehend? A great story.
Powerful stories build civilizations, inspire new businesses, and launch lifelong relationships.
More importantly, captivating stories can turn recent immigrants from outsiders to insiders. After all, immigrant stories help humanize experiences and make people feel seen by even the most distant audiences.
Today, we’ll explore the true impact of storytelling and its enduring value for the immigrant experience.
The Soul of Storytelling
All we have are stories.
In fact, everything we are, everything we know, and everything we believe is based on a story.
Every civilization is based on a story.
Every advertising campaign is selling a story.
Every political movement emerges out of a story.
What is a story?
On one level, they are simply the narrative description of an event or a moment in time. Beyond that, however, stories are ”thought routes” that point to values, beliefs, and items of importance.
They are tools that guide the focus of our audience to see what we see, to feel what we feel, and to imagine what it’s like to stand in our shoes.
Indeed, the stories we tell—and the way we tell them—often reveal more about ourselves than we dare to think.
Stories offer a window into our souls.
How Stories Humanize the Immigrant Experience
While being kind to one another remains the moral standard for a peaceful civilization, following the golden rule is easier said than done.
For example, studies show that when a driver cuts someone off in traffic, the “victim” sees the culprit as a bad person. This condemnation isn’t merely about their aggressive driving, but rather, about their core identity itself.
While human beings aspire to be equitable, we are hopelessly prone to making snap judgments.
Storytelling can flip the script on such hostility.
This is especially true for recent immigrants, many of whom face an uphill battle to feel accepted in their new communities and workplaces.
Though America is a country built by immigrants, modern generations have forgotten their past.
Sadly, the rich history of the Roanoke Colony, the Mayflower, and the twelve million European immigrants who passed through Ellis Island have moved from fact to folklore.
Most third, fourth, and fifth generation Americans can’t imagine what it’s like to be an immigrant; to leave the safety of their homeland for a totally foreign country.
And that’s exactly why your story is so essential.
Without it, Americans will only hear the statistics. They will think of immigrants as major groups, rather than as meaningful individuals.
As a result, they will be blinded by generalizations and unable to appreciate your value. However, when you begin to share your story, you will change the world around you.
The 3 Fruits of Telling Your Story
Civilizations are built on the backs of compelling storytelling.
Take ancient Rome, which was allegedly founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. As the legend goes, the boys were raised on Palatine Hill by a she-wolf.
How’s that for a memorable beginning?
Such origin stories and creation myths pervade the known world. Inside each culture are the iconic stories of powerful individuals, like George Washington and the cherry tree, Alexander Graham Bell and the flying kite, and Rosa Parks and her bravery.
In the last century alone, many inspirational immigrants have told their stories, including Sergey Brin, Madeleine Albright, Guillermo Del Toro, and Liz Claiborne.
When you tell your story, you join the pantheon of the brave travelers that came before you. And along the way, you unlock three meaningful benefits for you, and those that come after you.
1. Identity Affirmation
“Who am I?”
Though this question is difficult to answer, storytelling provides a helpful starting point.
When we rehearse the watershed moments in our lives—both the wins and losses—we gain a more comprehensive understanding of who we really are.
Examining our story—our history—reveals what we value, what we believe, and what we want to achieve. To that end, revisiting our lived experiences also creates a clear separation between our past and present lives (while leaving room for a more promising future).
Of course, the question, “who am I?,” implies additional inquiries including:
“Who have I been?”
“Who am I now?”
“Who do I want to be?”
These are the penetrating questions you have the privilege to explore.
After all, you are the first (and arguably most important) audience for your story.
After you shape your narrative, you will be ready to share it with the world around you.
2. Community Building
“Othering” is an inescapable phenomenon, and it happens everywhere.
Whether you’re the new kid at school, the latest member of a club, or a freshly-hired employee, you become the “other”; the odd one out.
Newness is often viewed negatively, and no one feels that more acutely than recent immigrants.
Despite these obstacles, however, immigrants are uniquely positioned to change the conversation.
Here’s why: when you tell people about the journey you endured to get here, you will instantly ignite their empathetic responses and knock down the first barrier to acceptance.
In other words, your story shows people that you’re human.
That you’re just like them.
Who can relate to making sacrifices in life? Almost everyone.
Who can relate to moving into a new home? Almost everyone.
Who can relate to missing their friends and family? Almost everyone.
Who can relate to enduring long wait times in government buildings? Almost everyone.
Can your American-born neighbors relate to the true challenges you faced as an immigrant? No, of course not.
But by sharing your immigrant story with them, you begin to disable whatever embedded biases they may have harbored prior to meeting you.
All it takes is one conversation: your story can strengthen your community.
3. Public Policy Change
Where statistics fail to reach the human heart, stories often go the distance.
Sometimes, these stories are little more than a headline on a news channel, a photograph in a magazine, or a post on social media.
Nevertheless, when these stories are seen, they capture the attention of a distracted society and focus their eyes on what matters most.
In 2011, a young girl named Rachel Beckwith wanted to raise $300 to help bring clean water to undeveloped countries. Sadly, Rachel died in a car accident before she could see her charitable wishes come true.
Over the next month, however, her story was told—and it spread like wildfire.
Within a few weeks, her humble goal of raising $300 was sustained by thousands of people across the world, who raised over $1.2 million for her favorite nonprofit.
These types of stories are increasingly common.
Recently, the needs of immigrants—including many undocumented arrivals—attracted the focus of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Together, these groups generously awarded over $600 million to migrant communities in need.
In another case, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give food and health care services to pregnant and breastfeeding women, regardless of their immigration status.
When people are seen in the fullness of their humanity, public policy will change.
How to Build A Compelling Story
All great stories share similar ingredients.
They feature a compelling plot, a daunting obstacle, and a dynamic central character.
Downstream of these three pillars, stories also incorporate a key setting, an emotional theme, a haunting antagonist, and other important elements.
If you’re reading this article, however, you’re probably not interested in writing a book as much as telling your story—and telling it well.
To do so, you must incorporate the following five tips.
1. Find the Conflict
This may seem counterintuitive, but hear us out.
All stories are founded on conflict, as the main characters must face—and ultimately overcome—an internal or external obstacle.
To structure your story, look for the conflict in your own life.
What have you overcome to get where you are today?
For example, some immigrants leave home to avoid civil unrest and seek safety in America.
In other situations, immigrants come to the U.S. for better job opportunities, hoping to support their loved ones back home.
Remember: heroes are never born in a vacuum. Like David against Goliath, they arise out of conflict.
2. Set the Hook
After you define the obstacle, it’s time to work backwards. In other words, you need to start your story in a compelling way.
This “hook” has one overarching goal: to capture your listener’s attention. To that end, you have full license to craft an introduction that’s funny, blunt, or even a bit alarming.
If you have a flair for the dramatic, this is where to deploy it.
Consider Julius Caesar’s laconic swagger after winning the Battle of Zela in 47 BC: “Veni, vidi, vici–I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Who wouldn’t listen to a story that starts off like that?
3. Add Sensory Elements
Details matter.
In fact, they add layers of authenticity to your narrative that listeners won’t soon forget.
As you build your story, be sure to incorporate memorable sensory elements that enhanced your lived experience:
- What did the environment look like?
- What did it smell like?
- What did you see?
- Who was with you?
- What were you wearing?
These sensory elements are not the story itself, but they are the colors that help bring it to life.
4. Craft Your Message
No story is ever told without a purpose.
Jokes have punchlines.
Fables have morals.
Stories have messages.
When you share your immigrant experience with people, what do you want them to remember?
How do you want them to feel after hearing it? More importantly, how do you want them to feel
about you when they walk away?
Maybe you’re telling a story about your personal resilience.
Maybe you’re telling a story to give other people hope.
Maybe you’re telling a story to make a new friend.
Or, maybe you’re telling your story for all of those reasons combined (and more).
Every story has a purpose. Find yours before you share it.
5. Know Your Audience
Who are you talking to?
This may seem like an obvious question, but it’s important to answer.
After all, the elements of your story will shift depending on the context. For example, if you’re having a cup of coffee with a friend, your conversational tone will be very different from the way you speak at a community gathering.
Though the message of your story won’t change, the manner in which you deliver it will.
Always tailor your story to your listeners, and don’t be afraid to make changes in the moment.
After all, your audience may ask unexpected questions that ignite forgotten memories. Or, in another situation, you may feel the inspiration to add new details you don’t normally include.
In any case, whether you’re speaking to an audience of 1 or 100, always aim to tell your story like it’s the first time you’re sharing it.
Bonus: Immigrant Experience Storytelling Resources
Looking for more inspiration to help you craft your story?
Be sure to check out The Immigrant Story for compelling examples of immigrant success stories across America.
We also recommend visiting Suitcase Stories®, which explores migration through the art of professional storytelling. This is a great resource to watch immigrants of all backgrounds share their stories in front of a live audience.
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Your story has only just begun.
While this chapter of your life is only one of many, we truly hope you will share your immigrant experience with as many people as you can.
After all, when immigrants speak up, they unlock empathy, break down stereotypes, and strengthen communities across America.
Every time you tell your story, you change the world for the better.
While you focus on your story, at uLink we’re dedicated to helping you stay connected to your loved ones back home.
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