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Applied storytelling in the lecture hall (and elsewhere)

Challenge 3: Crafting a take-home statement for your stories

The context

People evaluate our stories based on plausibility and relevance to them/their situation. In academic settings, explicitly linking your story to the point you want to make ensures your audience stays engaged and understands the takeaway.

 

The challenge

My challenge to you this week is to try out different ways to incorporate a clear take-home statement in your stories to illustrate the relevance of the story.

Ways to incorporate a take-home statement:

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1. At the beginning:

Give a clear reason why you’re telling the story. For example:
“It’s so important to be prepared when designing your methodology. I learned this the hard way when…”

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2. At the end:

Summarise why the story matters. For example:
“The reason I’m sharing this experience is to highlight how crucial methodology design is.”

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3. Open-ended approach:

Ask your students what they took from the story. For example:
“What does this story mean to you?” or “What stood out for you?” (Great for student engagement.)

How to apply the challenge

  • Pick an important turning point in your academic career that might be useful in illustrating a point or an idea in your teaching.
  • Say it out loud as a story.
  • Write down its relevance to your students (or audience, if you aren’t thinking about teaching.) Put yourself in their shoes and ask, “So what?”
  • Share it with a colleague and ask them what they took from it.
  • Adjust your relevance statement based on their feedback.
  • Try telling the story with relevance at the start, at the end, or left open for discussion. Notice how each approach affects engagement.

 

Have fun playing with story “take home” statements