An individual’s origin story defines who they are and why they do what they do. True also for an organization, which may begin with an individual’s origin story and later develop its own. In a way no prose can ever do, origin stories create the picture of the vision and mission. They produce feelings and emotions, giving traction to ideas or strategies. In the end, they are a window into the formative events and ideation that built the organization as it is today or shaped the individual into who he or she would become.
Told according to the Narativ method, Murray Nossel recounts the events that led to his recognition of the power of listening and telling and how together they can transform communication. Murray’s “AIDS day” story chronicles his work with dying AIDS patients in the early 1990’s, and what he learned from them and about himself. Based on what he learned there, he created the Narativ Method, and later formed Narativ, Inc., with Paul Browde. Soon after they were joined by Jerome Deroy at the helm as CEO.
Today, our work continues to be strongly influenced by the social and cultural dimensions of storytelling and listening. In fact, before a story is told, we believe there has to be listening that is open and present. In other words there has to be mutual respect, which in itself generates better stories. Round and round that system goes, each time it turns shaping and creating the culture of which it is a part.
