| ASK Magazine is
not alone when it comes to using storytelling to capture
lessons learned and share knowledge. Several other practitioners
have successfully introduced this approach to knowledge
management within organizations. This article by Annette
Simmons marks the first in a series by authors whose work
on storytelling has been widely recognized. We hope these
features illuminate why ASK contributors use the
story form to share their knowledge, and how you can do
the same. Annette Simmons spoke at the February 2002 APPL
Masters
Forum.
I went to my first storytelling festival as an adult.
My dad thought it would be a great place for the family
to get together, so he sent us all tickets. I can still
recall sitting inside the festival tent and noticing
the rapt attention of the people around me as a story
was told. Jaws slackened, whole bodies became receptive.
We were trained on every single word that came out of
the storyteller. That's when I understood the power
of storytelling.
| We need stories
because cognitive learning doesn't always cut it. |
I first began to study storytelling so that my presentations
wouldn't be boring -- but as I worked on storytelling,
storytelling started to work on me. There's something
important going on here, I realized. But how do I describe
it? With a story of course.
Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away
from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened
the people. When Parable found her she was huddled in
a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her,
Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she
dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out
again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the
doors and was readily welcomed into the villagers' houses.
They invited her to eat at their tables and warm herself
by their fires. -- Jewish
Teaching Story
We need stories because cognitive learning doesn't always
cut it. If it did, any of us who wanted to lose weight
would only need to read one diet book. People don't have
flip-top heads that open up for you to shove information
down. We've tried that -- at least I have. My first ten
years in management experience I worked that way. It doesn't
work.
Story is one of the most respectful ways to share
knowledge, and thus, one of the most effective because
it allows people to come to their own conclusions. Instead
of telling someone, "You should be more patient," you
invite your listener to come to that conclusion independently:
"Hey, I know what the problem is. My impatience is making
things worse."
And who amongst us doesn't need more patience? Yet,
preach "Be more patient, be more patient," to a bunch
of smart executives, and I'll guarantee increased patience
will not be the first change you begin to notice in
their behavior.
So take them on a journey, instead. Here's another
story:
A woman begged the shaman for a potion to
make her husband love her again. She explained that
before her husband fought in the war, he was warm, loving,
and he laughed easily. But since his return he was angry,
distant, and humorless. The more she tried to hug her
husband, tease him, and draw him back to her, the worse
it became. The shaman was her last hope. He listened
patiently to the woman's story. When she was finished,
he said, "I think I can help you. I will make you a
love potion -- but you must go find one of the ingredients."
She said she would. Then he told her to get a whisker
from a live lion. She was distraught, "How can I possibly
get a whisker from a beast as fierce and powerful as
a lion?" The shaman shrugged and left her to her tears.
The next day she went to a place where she had once
seen a lion. On that day she saw nothing more than
monkeys fighting in the trees and birds flying in
the air. On the second day, she stayed a little longer
and found a comfortable place to sit. But she did
not see the lion. Weeks passed. One morning she sensed
the lion's presence before she saw him. She didn't
move but the lion saw her anyway and ran away. It
was a week before she saw him again. Curious, the
lion stopped running away. Finally, after weeks of
bringing the lion good things to eat and ever so slowly
reaching out to pet him, he finally was so comfortable
with the woman that he fell asleep under her stroking
hand. Once he was asleep she took a very sharp knife
and gently cut one single whisker from the lion's
muzzle.
The next day she brought this whisker to the shaman,
and asked for the potion that would make her husband
love her again. The shaman said "You do not need any
potion. Throw away the whisker, keep the knowledge
you have gained, and your husband will learn to love
you once more." -- Somali
tale from Ethiopia
Now, that's what I would call a teaching story. So if
you're trying to teach someone how to be a good project
manager, handing out a list of dos-and-don'ts will never
encompass the subject the same way as one of your personal
stories about when you learned something about project
management.
Search by lesson to find more on:
 Annette
Simmons is the President of Group Process Consulting
and the author of three books, The Story Factor
(2001), A Safe Place for Dangerous Truth: Using
Dialogue to Overcome Fear & Distrust (1999)
and Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending
Turf Wars at Work (1997). Her books have been
translated into several languages, and she travels
regularly around the world to speak about her work,
much of it concerning the use of storytelling in
organizations.
"Whether you're proposing a risky new venture,
trying to close a deal, or leading a charge against
injustice, you have a story to tell," says Simmons.
"Tell your story well and you will create a shared
experience with your listeners that can have profound
and lasting results."
Simmons combines public speaking, writing, consulting
and constant research and development to serve
organizations seeking to increase workgroup cooperation
for bottom-line results. Her latest book on women
in organizations is scheduled to be released later
this year. |
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