Why You Need To Use Storytelling For Learning
I’m sure you’ve heard by now that storytelling can make learning more effective. Stories help us process and remember information. Perhaps they even touch a part of our consciousness associated with the magic and creativity of childhood.
In my desire to become a better storyteller, I attended a session on the subject while at the Presentation Summit, a conference where the topics overlap surprisingly well with the interests of training professionals and learning specialists.
Here are the key points I gathered from a session titled, The Art of Storytelling, presented by Jon Thomas. I modified them for learning experience designers as needed.
1. Stories are the emotional glue that connects the audience to the message
Much of what people remember from a learning experience are the feelings of the underlying message rather than a multitude of small facts (which are better reserved for job aids). Stories are an important way to tap into the heart of the audience, providing a channel for conveying a deeper message based on emotion.
2. Information presentation should be constructed around a story
Any kind of presentation—whether it be online training or a live presentation—will benefit from a story construction. Organizing information into a format with a beginning (setting the stage), middle (the challenge) and ending (new reality) can work for many topics.
3. People want to know about origins
When we watch or read about a superhero, we always remember the person’s origins. We know where they came from and the circumstances that created their super powers. People are defined by their origins and people are curious about where people (or fictional characters) come from, how they change and how they evolve. Include this type of information in your next story.
4. Stories reshape knowledge into something meaningful
For centuries, people have used stories to pass on knowledge. When information is embedded in the context of a story, it is transferred to a listener or reader in a unique way. According to the presenter of this session, new research shows that 70% of what we learn is consumed through storytelling.
5. Stories make people care
When you know your audience—their pains, frustrations and joys—your stories can reflect their emotions and experiences. As learners begin to see themselves in the story and begin to identify with it, they start to care. Nancy Duarte, author of Resonate, states that a story serves as a moment of emotional appeal.
6. Stories transcend one’s current environment
Good storytelling can transport learners out of their stuffy meeting rooms and offices into an adventurous world away from the workplace. In this altered reality, the mind becomes more open to perceiving and thinking in new ways. This is an ideal position from which to learn.
7. Stories are motivating
Stories can motivate an audience toward a learning goal. They are ideal for attitudinal training because when an audience is motivated, they no longer need to be persuaded. An encouraging story will inspire someone to take action.
8. People take time for stories
Have you ever noticed that even the busiest of people will stop to listen to someone’s story or to tell one of their own? Stories are why people are drawn to novels and movies and gossip magazines. If you want to maintain an audience’s attention, you’re more likely to do it through storytelling.
9. Stories are more likely to be shared
Because we are so attuned to stories, people love to share them. They are like hooks that draw people in as they are passed from one person to the next. If you have any doubts, check out the thousands of Facebook Stories. This is where people share how they use Facebook and the meaning it has in their life. Do you need to spread the word about something? Put it in a story and see if it gets shared.
10. Stories give meaning to data
Many people perceive data as meaningless numbers. This happens when the data is disconnected to anything important in their experience. But when the data is placed in the context of a story, it comes alive. One of the most well-known examples of this is Hans Roling’s presentation below. If you haven’t seen it yet, take the four minutes to watch.
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I agree, Effective storytelling is an integral part of the teaching process. Stories capture the emotional interest of the listener in a way that normal lectures would never have touched on.
That video is also a great example of “Motion Graphics,” taking a complex set of data and presenting it in either a static visual form (infographics) or a short video (motion graphics).
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Connie Malamed Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Hi Bryce,
I agree. The motion graphics really make data compelling.
Connie
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Good points; Stories – at least from a psychological perspective – are the killer app for today.
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Connie Malamed Reply:
September 27th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
I like the way you stated that, Howard. Thanks.
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That presentation does not meet my definition of a story, but it certainly is a wonderful animated timeline. The motion graphics and the enthusiasm of the speaker are what makes it interesting.
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Connie Malamed Reply:
October 1st, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Hi Bradd,
Well, I know what you mean. It’s not a story as we usually think of one, but it is the story behind the data, which makes statistics so much more interesting. Thanks for your comment.
Connie
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I’ve been doing this in my project, I feel so vindicated now
. Every video gamer knows story is key in the best games, and my thinking is that e-learning should feel a little like a game!
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Connie Malamed Reply:
October 2nd, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Hi Dani,
Glad you’ve been vindicated or validated or verified or something like that. Wouldn’t it be great if we could make all eLearning feel a little like a game?
Best,
Connie
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My personal learning style is geared towards stories for many of the reasons you’ve listed here. It’s funny how much easier it is to relate concepts and ideas if there’s a story to go along. This is definitely something to keep in mind when creating course content, even though it may be a bit challenging at first to turn material from pure facts to a creative story.
Wonderful post!
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Connie Malamed Reply:
October 5th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
HI Jordan,
It’s great to hear from personal experience that stories work for you. Thanks for chiming in here.
Connie
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Connie,
Thanks so much for attending my session and for writing this post! I’m glad you found it useful and spread it to your engaged audience. Stories are part of our DNA. We’ve been telling them for centuries upon centuries. There’s no reason that they’ll stop being effective today! While stories have a basic structure, they do come in many different shapes and sizes. It’s simply about finding the story that will resonate with your audience.
Thanks again!
Jon
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Connie Malamed Reply:
October 27th, 2011 at 6:35 am
It was my pleasure to share this, Jon. This topic really resonates with readers of The eLearning Coach as we become more aware of the value of stories for improving motivation, comprehension, retention and recall.
Best,
Connie
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Thanks for this. Lots of great points. I’d add a few others that come from the case-based reasoning literature:
1. Real expertise is built on the tacit knowledge that comes from experience. We know this instinctively – no one hires a doctor, a lawyer, or a CEO based on test scores or coursework. Stories are the best way of communicating the knowledge that is embedded in experience, short of actually giving learners the opportunity to practice themselves (which isn’t always possible).
2. Rules and principles tend to be brittle where stories can be applied to situations much more flexibly. A small mismatch between a rule and a situation often leads to the rule being dismissed as irrelevant. In contrast, with stories, people can usually adapt the lessons embedded in stories to a much broader set of analogous situations. Arguably, this is at the heart of cognition – I have an experience that is represented as a story in my memory, and it reminds me of relevant prior experiences (i.e., more stories) that I use to make sense of the new experience.
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Connie Malamed Reply:
January 5th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Great additions, Adam. Thanks!
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Hi
How can I do something like that? what software should I use? (as the guy from the BBC)
Nice story telling example
Regards
Laura
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I’m developing engineering training – teaching how to read tech drawings, execute changes to drawings, designing screw threading for parts, corrosion prevention, etc. Please let me know how I might use stories in this type of training. thanks!
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Connie Malamed Reply:
August 15th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Hi Helen,
First of all, storytelling is probably not the solution for every type of training. But it often is a good solution. In your case, two types of stories come to mind. One would be an overall story, for example, a complex job with a tough deadline is approaching and a new engineer needs to quickly get better at reading tech drawings. He or she must learn from some of the experienced people around the organization. This is your apprentice-master setup. You can allow the learner to select questions or to select answers and to get context-sensitive responses.
Another idea is to simply add small workplace scenarios that require reading tech drawings. Add a little tension, challenge or friction to each scenario. I hope this helps and I hope others chime in with ideas!
Best,
Connie
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