“He loved people and enjoyed telling and listening to life stories.” Those words from my Dad’s obituary summarize so much about him. You knew when Al entered the room because he was six feet tall and had an infectious laugh. More importantly, he always had a story to share.

My Dad worked for General Electric for 38 years; most of those years in utility sales. He won many sales contests, which allowed him to take my Mom to places like Hawaii, California, and Cancun, Mexico. He told me the secret of his success was to be an expert for his customers. Being an expert and storytelling were closely entwined for him.

He would scan the morning newspaper until he found an interesting article. Sometimes it was just a few sentences. One time he found a short piece about an elephant. I’ve forgotten the details, but he was able to gather enough information from the article that he then used it as the story for the day with whomever he met. It became an ice-breaker for conversations with new contacts and existing business acquaintances.

For that day, he had become an “expert” on elephants. To him, being an expert meant he knew more than the person he was with at that moment and he owed it to that person to share the knowledge he had gained. If he encountered someone who knew more about that subject than he did, then he became a student and asked questions. He listened and learned.

I do not profess to be an expert on writing, but I may know more about it than some. For those who know more about writing than I do, I am eager to ask questions, listen and learn. My Dad taught me the importance of both “telling and listening.” It takes both to become an excellent storyteller.