Stories provide us with a way to make sense of the world. They serve a powerful purpose in learning, to bring real experiences to life and make the abstract more concrete. As well as being an effective method of communication, there is significant evidence that storytelling enhances learning and memory. Studies show that information presented within a story is remembered up to 20 times more effectively than isolated facts.
“Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.”
Jean-Luc Godard
For the story to resonate with your audience, the characters need to be identifiable as them and/or their colleagues.
It’s Katie’s first day in the restaurant and she wants to make a good impression on the rest of the team.
Matteo has worked on many construction sites, but it’s taking him a minute to get familiar with this one.
Preeti is a newly qualified accountant and so she feels shy asking questions of her new colleagues.
Parables or metaphorical stories can help to illustrate a concept, but the best way to ground a story, is to set it in the world of the learner.
The kitchen is looking sparkling, since the team did a deep clean last night. But what’s that underneath the counter? Did they miss something?
Matteo can’t find his hard hat and he knows there’s no way they’ll let him on the construction site without it. Do you know what other PPE items he should also be wearing?
Preeti likes to get into the office early so she can make a coffee and get to her desk before it gets too busy. How can she start to engage with her colleagues a bit more?
Originality and creatively are the key to making a story memorable. It’s important to show not tell, as we learn by seeing our characters experiences play out.
Katie’s manager:
“I’ve just been in the kitchen and noticed Katie’s hair is loose, not tied up, no hairnet or anything. I can’t believe it! Doesn’t she know how important this is? We could lose our hygiene rating over this!”
Matteo’s manager:
“Just because Matteo is new, it’s not excuse not to follow key safety rules. It doesn’t just put him at risk, it’s important for everyone. Does he think the rules don’t apply to him?”
Preeti’s manager:
“I know Preeti is new and it’s her first job, but she really hasn’t made any effort with our team since starting her. Just a simple ‘hello’ or ‘how was your weekend?” would be nice!
You can enhance simple, effective storytelling with visuals, video, animation or audio to ensure that it comes to life before your audience.
An animation shows the kitchen from Katie’s perspective, and we get her internal monologue of how daunting it is her for to be in this environment and how she hopes someone will correct her if she makes any mistakes…
A podcast from a safety expert working in construction talks through why safety and wearing correct PPE is so important and gives us an overview of the consequences if safety rules are not followed.
Simple flip cards showing characters with speech bubbles show different perspectives, e.g.
Preeti – I just want to fit in
Jamie – I wish she’d make more of an effort with us
As a learning experience, storytelling shouldn’t be passive. We want our learners to answer questions, make decisions and see the consequences of their choices play out.
Branching scenarios – take learners on different journeys depending on the decisions they make in a scenario until they reach a final outcome. But did their choices ensure it was a good one?
Interactive video – learners see scenes play out and can then answer questions critiquing what happened. Video feedback shows the characters responding to the options they choose.
Story-based quiz – learners answer questions based on a simple story set-up and through supportive feedback, we guide them to help the people in the story make the right decisions.
If you’re creating a piece of learning, try this: take some fact-based text and see if you can rework it into a story. Think about a science concept or a historical event. Instead of just listing the facts, turn them into a narrative with characters, a setting, and a sequence of events.
Doesn’t it feel like it would be more memorable and interesting if it was presented this way? People remember stories much better than they remember lists.
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