Like so many others I awoke this morning to flick through social media channels for what came through the transom overnight, and there was a tweet from our friend Josh Rawitch at the Baseball Hall of Fame that Vin Scully had passed away. It hit me with such sadness on this beautiful August morning, but that sadness turned to wistfulness as I read the stories and saw the posts of a life of grace and impact well lived, and it reminded me of the phrase he used when he signed off from his last Dodgers’ broadcast…
“Don’t be sad because its over, be happy because it happened.”
What a great way to go through life. I never knew Vin Scully well, I spoke to him twice, but like millions of others he knew and spoke to us every time he was in or around a microphone. He was his own version of what Twitter (which he enthusiastically joined later in life) is supposed to be…a conversation between people with common interests, where you can speak directly to those who follow you. While many Angelinos have their own Scully memories, one which stood out personally to me occurred during the last September of his glorious run. I was in LA for a screening of the film “Forgotten Four,” about the first four players to break the color barrier in the NFL, when I was driving down the Pacific Coast Highway on a Sunday and happened on to Vin calling a Dodgers game. I pulled off and listened to the pictures he painted with his words. For me, and millions of others, the conversation that last time was golden.
So when I saw Vin passed, I felt compelled to resurrect some notes I had taken on storytelling from when he retired. It is worth a relook, because it is a storytelling master class, and the lessons will reverberate forever.
At the core of his success, and at the success of anyone looking to build a narrative, is the ability to effectively listen, think, develop and then tell a story. The skills of storytelling are more essential than ever, and anyone, of any age, can learn with the examples Vin Scully since they left the Jesuit University of New York, Fordham, decades ago.
What are those skills that translate through generations and genres? Here’s a short list.
Informed and Thoughtful: No matter who or what he was talking about, Scully always did his homework. He knew not just the basics but the details of all conveyed to the world, and used that great detail to give all that are listening or watching a deep and unique look into stories that may be as time-tested and retold as a Bible verse, or as new and cutting edge as a rookie outfielder from Cuba or a graffiti artist working his way through new medium.
Relevant- While he could always harken back to stories of the past; safe transitions and time fillers for an audience which may crave nostalgia, he always looked to find relevance not to what HE wanted to talk about, but to what his audience is looking for. The stories told may not be as relevant personally, but they are important to the listener or the viewer, and the professionalism pulls the relevance through very clearly. The subject is more important than the storyteller.
Authentic- In an era of shouting to be heard, Scully brought a high level of authenticity to everything he did. If he said it, you believe it. Now that does not mean he dismissed the integration of anything that pays the bills; sponsor mentions and cross promotions and the like, but he integrated messages so flawlessly into the narrative that everything said comes across as sincere and very believable. He was also are not big on the overstated; he mastered the understated and by doing so let the audience grasp the story in a calm, and insightful way in a voice that is consistent and familiar.
Educational- Perhaps it is because he was Jesuit-educated, but Vin came across as always looking to learn, and also to inform and teach their audiences something useful well beyond their craft. It is rare, if ever, that you didn’t listen to Scully, even during his brief move on to Twitter, and walk away thinking you hadn’t learned anything, from useful anecdotes to a deeper understanding of some of the world’s biggest names.
Conversational- Perhaps more important than anything, he had mastered the art of conversation, especially in the spoken word. There was always a feel of a two way exchange between the listener/viewer and the speaker, he always pulls you into the narrative, and make millions feel like he is talking directly to you. It is not done by shouting down or asking for attention. It is done by inclusion; by knowing the audience and thinking about who you are speaking to, you create and drive conversations big and small, and no one creates the conversation better.
Some may think that the celebration for a Fordham Ram leaving our world may be unimportant or overstated, which is ironic given that both he never dwelled on overstatement during his career. The celebration is really about the moments created for millions on a consistent basis for decades and about the legacy that passed on to others now plying their craft on every medium possible. He may have been a bit old school, but the work ethic, and the ability to continue to story tell is anything but old; it is refreshing, important and more valuable for all today than when he was fresh out of school.
We all should keep learning and improving. He may be gone from the screen, but his impact and the lessons taught will live on forever.
