Last week, I watched Dave Isay receive the 2015 TED Prize of 1,000,000 dollars. This is a great honor for Dave Isay and his team at StoryCorps. When you win the TED Prize, you are asked to share your wish with a live audience of what you would like to see in the coming year and beyond.
Last week I shared with you who Dave Isay was and what he might wish for. As promised, I’m back to share his wish.
Dave Isay and his team at StoryCorps weren’t shy when asking for their wish. When you work with so many great nonprofits and foundations, you hope you find the organizations that have a greater cause and purpose. The ones who want to put a dent in the universe, as Steve Jobs used to say.
The last several years have been challenging for nonprofit organizations. Many have scaled down their mission. Some have been hesitant to share their greater mission on a larger scale. I believe that StoryCorps has taken on this challenge and I want to share it with you today. I believe that Dave and his team have put together a positive plan to achieve their goals and dreams. So, you may ask, what was Dave Isay’s request?
He wants you to help him and his team create an archive of the wisdom of humanity. There is nothing like aiming for a humanity transforming goal. Dave Isay said it this way, “Let’s create an archive of the wisdom of humanity. Maybe in doing so, we’ll learn to listen a little better and shout a little less”
He is not just asking you to help but he’s asking you to increase the involvement of the people in your community, as well. As Dave and StoryCorps put it, “Help us spark a global movement to record and preserve meaningful conversations with one another that results in an ever-growing digital archive of the collective wisdom of humanity.”
Now you know what he’s requested from all of us. We need a tool to help accomplish his goals. One of the things I love about the TED Prize is that the organization not only provides the financial prize, but the platform to help make it happen.
To do achieve this goal, it will take significant time to gather these conversations and create archives and ways to share the information with the global community. To do this, StoryCorps created an app for your smartphone for both the Apple and Android platforms. The app can be found here. There’s a great video that explains the process and how to use the app.
You can find the interview process at here. You can find examples on this site to help inspire you. There are also many great interviews that StoryCorps has already archived on their site here.
I bet you’re as excited as I am. I’ve already shared this with many people who love capturing history and stories of the people who make the world go around; you, your family, your friends in your communities. This is an amazing project.
I know some of you are thinking, “How do I interview someone else and give them the respect and love they need to share their stories?” Fear not, I have a special share this Thursday that complements what you learn on the StoryCorps site.
This Thursday, I’ll be sharing several of Richard Branson’s best ideas on how to become a world class listener and supporter. You may not remember this, but Richard started his career interviewing interesting people for his early student publications. I’ll also be sharing several tips I’ve discovered over the years.
When you’re done reading this Thursday’s blog, you’ll be confident and comfortable supporting others through the interview process. Who knows, you might even be willing to share your wonderful experiences here. Once you see this gift in action, your life will never be the same!
See you Thursday.