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One of the best ways to communicate a big idea is to tell a “small story,” Ari Shapiro told an Omaha audience Thursday.

Shapiro, host of National Public Radio’s afternoon on-air news magazine “All Things Considered,” gave the keynote speech at the Greater Omaha Chamber Young Professionals Summit. His address focused on his role as a reporter and interviewer.

“The news lets me know what’s happening in the world. Stories help me understand the world and how I fit in,” said Shapiro, a 2000 graduate of Yale University.

Stepping into someone else’s shoes through the medium of story is more important than ever in an America that feels “so divided between urban and rural, Trump country and Clinton country,” he said.

The stories we choose to share in person or on social media can connect us or put up walls.

“I hope you will all choose to connect,” Shapiro concluded.

Shapiro’s message resonated with Omaha designer Nicole Malone, 38. The summit isn’t just about business, she said. It’s about personal development and celebrating where we live, and storytelling is part of that.