John Capecci - Living Proof: Telling Your Story to Make a Difference

Copyright 2015 by John Capecci and Timothy Cage. All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher: .

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Granville Circle Press

2811 University Ave. SE #14445

Minneapolis, MN 55414

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distributed by Itasca Books www.itascabooks.com

1-800-901-3480

Instructor Resources. Study guides and additional classroom materials are available at livingproofadvocacy.com/blog/resources

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Excerpt from The Story of Your Life by Tristine Rainer. Copyright 1998 by Tristine Rainer. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Excerpt from New Beginning, by LeDerick Horne. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Excerpts from Soul of a Citizen by Paul Loeb. Copyright 1999, 2010 by Paul Loeb. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Excerpts from The Story Handbook: A Primer on Language and Storytelling for Land Conservationists. Copyright 2003 by The Trust for Public Land. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Excerpt from It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling in Protest and Politics by Francesca Polletta. Copyright 2006, University of Chicago Press. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-9838703-4-0

Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9838703-6-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

2015906793

Capecci, John.

Living proof: telling your story to make a difference / John Capecci and Timothy Cage.

Minneapolis, MN : Granville Circle Press, c2015.

p. cm.

1. Public speakingHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Social advocacyHandbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Social justiceHandbooks, manuals, etc. 4. Nonprofit organizationsPublic relations.

I. Cage, Timothy. II. Title.

PN4129.15.C34 2012 808.51

Cover, interior design and illustrationsBrad Norr, www.bradnorrdesign.com

Edited by Christianne Thillen

Photos, Leading Age Kansas, Brian Killion

DEDICATION

To the thousands of advocates whose stories weve been privileged to share, and in memory of those whose stories continue to inspire us:

Gianna Capecci

Robert Compitello

Deborah Voss Mankiewicz

Annie Lewis Martin

E verybody likes ice cream, right?

Thats the bet Ocean Robbins made as he stood before an audience of five hundred and told his story.

My grandfather started Baskin-Robbins ice cream company. Thirty-one flavors. (Audience applauds.) And from his earliest childhood, my dad, John Robbins, was groomed to one day join his father in the family company. He grew up with an ice cream cone-shaped swimming pool in the backyard and a commercial freezer in the garage, full of thirty-one flavors of ice cream at all times. He grew up working in the factory and he was expected to join the family business. But then, when he was in his early 20s, he was offered that chance and he said no. And my grandfather was pretty hurt and said Why? What has come over you? And my dad said, You know, dad, we live in a world under a nuclear shadow. Every two seconds another child is dying of hunger and malnutrition. The environments deteriorating rapidly under the impact of human activity. And given those circumstances I dont think inventing a thirty-second flavor is an adequate response for my life.

Ocean delivered this keynote address at the National Alliance for Peace conference in Washington, DC. A tireless advocate for young people building a better world, he drew upon his experience to talk about citizen responsibility and youth empowerment. He hooked the audience with his unique family history. And he told his personal story naturally and passionately.

While writing Living Proof and since its initial publication in 2012, weve been fortunate to meet many people like Ocean whove found they can make a real difference telling their personal stories. Working for more than twenty years as communication trainers, weve helped thousands reach that same goal. Some, like Ocean, tell their stories on a national stage; many more share their stories in community meetings or with bloggers and local newspaper reporters. Theyre ordinary people and first-time speakers. Theyre also skilled presenters and media personalities. They speak in support of large and small nonprofits, local and national groups and publicity campaigns for the arts, the environment, education, health, and youth. They stand at lecterns, sit in circles and knock on doors. Theyre interviewed over the phone and on-camera. Theyve appeared in high school gymnasiums, at the White House and on TV talk shows. But no matter where theyre from or how much (or how little) experience they have, these people share the same objective: to tell a personal story with clarity, passion and purpose, and to have that story make a difference for someone or some cause. They are advocates.