If you want to get a good sense what The National Day of Listening is all about you should start by getting to know the non-profit organization behind it, StoryCorps.
Founded by Dave Isay in 2008, StoryCorps has been on a mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. According to the organization, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, to strengthen and build the connections between people, to teach the value of listening, and to weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone’s story matters. At the same time, we are creating an invaluable archive for future generations.”
The National Day of Listening is an annual observance designed to support the non-profit’s greater initiative to foster a culture of listening in America. Now taking place on the Friday following each Thanksgiving, the event was ordained to serve as a counterweight to the materialism of Black Friday and encourage people to shift the focus to the intangible good that’s all around them.
Inclusion is a beautiful thing and we can all learn a lot from each other if we just take the time to listen. The National Day of Listening is all about finding time to connect with those around us — to hear firsthand from friends, family, and others throughout our community about their unique experiences.
Offerpad’s story: Listening to the voice of the customer
Listening is the key to Offerpad’s success.
Now operating across more than 700 cities throughout the country, our modern approach to real estate wouldn’t have become a mainstay of the industry if we never took the time to listen to people along the way. Before there was Offerpad, there was a collective of professional real estate agents — Brian Bair among them — who imagined a better way buy and sell a home.
Over the course of thousands of living room conversations had with people over the years, Brian Bair and his team absorbed what they were hearing about the pain points of selling: accommodating open houses, preparing their home to sell by managing significant repairs, timing their sale around the purchase of their next home — even the stress of moving day.
By listening to their clients, Bair and his team devised innovative solutions that specifically addressed these pain points in the form of Offerpad: as a direct buyer, they eliminating the need for open houses, they gave sellers the options to sell the home as-is and forego repairs, offered flexible closing dates — even provided a free local move to mitigate seller stress. That model proved wildly successful, making Offerpad one of the leading real estate technology companies in the country.
Our company and consumer-centric service offerings will continue to be shaped from listening to home buyers and sellers across the country. By all accounts, our story is just beginning.
How to participate in The National Day of Listening
There really are no requirements here — the free flowing, conversational nature of The National Day of Listening encourages freedom to listen — or be heard — on your own terms. Still, if you’re looking for a few pointers to guide you, we can help.
Interview a grandparent
If you have the luxury of being surrounded by an older relative this holiday season, take the time to sit down with them and ask a few questions. StoryCorps provides a list of great interview questions to get things rolling — here are a few to spark your imagination …
- Where did you grow up?
- What was your childhood like?
- How would you like to be remembered?
Interview a parent
It’s easy to forget our parents weren’t always ‘parents’ — they themselves were once kids, people who had a separate life all their own. If you want to get to know yourself better, one of the best ways to do it is by getting to know your parents better. Here’s a few questions to start with …
- Do you remember what was going through your head when you first saw me?
- How did you choose my name?
- What were the hardest moments you had when I was growing up?
Interview a friend
Author C.S. Lewis once said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’”
Those shared experiences build a one-of-a-kind bond, but your unique perspective of those moments in time is what makes them deeply personal. Recount a favorite memory (or two) with a close friend and see where your perspective overlaps, where it differs. Here’s some questions to get you going …
- What is your first memory of me?
- What makes us such good friends?
- Where will we be in 10 years? 20 years?
Happy listening from your friends at Offerpad
Listening is a powerful device. It’s a tool we can use to expand our horizon and shift our perspective, learn something new about someone we care about — even change an entire industry for the better.
We love hearing from our buyers and sellers. If you have an Offerpad story or experience you want to share, contact us at mystory@offerpad.com. We may even feature you in a future blog!
On The National Day of Listening, take some time out to lend an ear and hear someone’s story. You never know what it might do for you — or them.