The Power of a Great Story

There isn’t a stronger connection between people than storytelling.

For thousands of years, people have communicated with stories. Great stories are powerful. They can generate curiosity, empathy, and support. However, a poorly told story can generate skepticism, indifference, or even worse, hostility and anger.

So, what makes a story “good”? And how can you craft a compelling story that will engage your listener and generate support for your advocacy work?

Most experts in the field of storytelling seem to agree that a good story will have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The beginning will create curiosity and interest. The middle will create discomfort, conflict, or anxiety. The ending will provide a resolution or positive key takeaways. Also, humans are born problem solvers, and there is great power in allowing your audience to reach their own conclusions based on the story you told them.

When crafting your story, it may be helpful to ask yourself the following:

As a person who makes heroic efforts to help people manage their diabetes, you are most likely aware that many struggle to meet their health care goals and that as a result, more than 75% of the total cost of diabetes care is spent on treating complications.

Despite the mounting evidence that diabetes care and education specialists play a vital role in helping the person living with diabetes avoid complications, lowering the cost of care, and improving quality of life, only 5% of eligible Medicare members utilize their Medicare diabetes self-management training (DSMT) benefit. Unfortunately, I have witnessed diabetes education centers close because of poor utilization and lack of understanding of all the benefits of DSMT.

Do you want to become part of the solution for improving the utilization of DSMT?

You can help by spreading awareness and gaining support for the Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) Act (S. 2203) and urging Congress to permanently expand telehealth services. We already have compelling evidence to share with Congress about how passing these bills into law can significantly lower Medicare costs and improve outcomes for people living with diabetes.

Each time you speak with or write to members of Congress or state legislators is an opportunity to tell a compelling story. By telling your story and the story of the people with diabetes you serve, you can help break down barriers and build congressional support for this legislation.

To find resources to help you prepare a compelling story that will convince your legislators to act now, visit the ADCES Legislative Action Center at diabeteseducator.org/actnow. With a few simple clicks, you can help tell (shout) your story to your senators and representatives so we can gain their support today and finally help more Medicare beneficiaries have greater access to diabetes care and education services.

What will your story be?