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Applied storytelling in the lecture hall (and elsewhere)

Challenge 1: Start building a story database

The context

When we’re teaching, we often have to adapt to the group. You plan a lecture to perfection, and then a really interesting question arises. Or something terrible or wonderful happens in the wider world that you want to introduce or address. And so on.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little database of stories that relate to your field, or your audience, that you can draw on and share without too much planning?

The challenge

My challenge to you this week is to either actively search for stories relating to your situation, OR to simply keep an eye out for possible stories and make a note of them. Then make a note of any stories  you come across that might be useful.

You don’t need to write out the whole story.

See if you can find 5 stories – one for every working day of the week.

Make a note of:

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Situation

people, place, time, context?

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Complication

what challenged the status quo? Positive, negative, neutral?

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Action

and then what happened? This is your story arc.

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Change

at the end, what was different? How will this MOVE your audience – thinking, feeling, perception, knowledge?

You can then tell the bare bones of the story, or add more detail, when you are telling it, depending on the situation.

Why simply “keep an eye out for stories”? Frequency illusion or the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon.

Have you ever noticed that when you become aware of something, that “something” is everywhere?

Your family buys a red Fiat 500 and suddenly, there are red cars, Fiat 500s, and red Fiat 500s all over the place! You get a pair of orange trainers, and everyone is wearing orange or orange trainers and so on.

Why does this happen? Thanks to our cognitive biases, when we become aware of something, we tend to selectively focus our attention on similar “somethings” and so we notice more of those “somethings”. This is known as Frequency Illusion.

So what? Even if you don’t actively seek stories, planting the seed to “be aware”, might help you spot stories in the wild without even trying!

For a quick read on Frequency Illusion, coined as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon by Terry Mullen, grab a cup of tea and have a Wikipedia moment →.

Where to actively find stories?

  • The rabbit hole also known as The Internet.
  • Text books
  • Magazines
  • Popular science books
  • Fiction
  • Folklore
  • History
  • The media – newspapers etc.
  • Papers and publications
  • Your colleagues
  • Your students
  • Your family
  • Your pets
  • Yourself
  • …

Happy Story Spotting!