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CULTURAL STORY-WEAVING

This title is a word pretzel because, turned about, stories actually "weave culture." Storytelling is as old as speech itself, and the process of sharing stories is a time-honored tradition in every culture since the beginning of people. Storytellers held the valuable role of preserving historical information and communicating it to new generations. Stories were used to teach and pass on history in an entertaining way. Stories were told over and over again to perpetuate culture, because they helped people define their identities as individuals and part of the group. People continue to feel a human need to share emotion and experience through stories, which bond the listeners and tellers.

The art form of storytelling is currently experiencing a revival in popularity, and is seen in the curriculum of many schools. Since the 1970’s, there has been a steady increase in the number of professional storytellers and storytelling festivals.

The tools are simple—storytelling requires only a voice and memory. The beauty of oral tradition and spoken language is that it allows delivery through gestures, voice and posture not available to written language. The storyteller can employ a range of sensory channels to reach an audience: sight, hearing, touch and details of imagery that stimulate learning and retention, as well as enjoyment. The teller can then use feedback from the audience to refine the story, taking hints from their laughter, silence, attentiveness and other cues. The teller can even involve the audience, dialoguing or using their input with sounds, punctuation

WHY STORYING IS IMPORTANT TO THE ORGANIZATION

Given the power of stories to teach, inspire and pass on tradition, organizations are awakening to the use of this mechanism for communication. The efficiency and brevity of a story make good use of limited face-to-face talk time. Large numbers can be addressed as well as a single individual. Cultural norms and values can be communicated few better ways. Books by authors David Armstrong (Managing by Storying Around: A New Method of Leadership, 1992), Lee Cheaney and Maury Cotter (Real People, Real Work, 1991) and Perry Gluckman and Diana Roome (Everyday Heroes, 1989) offer stories and counsel to the corporate storyteller.

THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF A STORY

A story is constructed of a plot, characters and a setting. The story line weaves these elements together with a thread of universal experience and emotion.

HOW TO MAKE A SUCCESS OF STORY-TELLING

• Keep it simple, brief (under 10 minutes) and understandable. Make it timeless and told in Plain Speak.
• Arouse emotion.
• Tell it and act it out with passion, at times changing voice or becoming the characters yourself. Tell it in your own words, forsaking memorization and rote reading.
• Elevate values through morals. Every good tale has a moral, a point or lesson. Stories can tell what a company believes in. Use the story as a form of recognition, saying here’s how we do things around here.
• Use friendly and non-threatening communication. demographic-proof,
• Paint word pictures. Use specific, descriptive, colorful language.
• Tell it from the heart. It has to be true for you

It needs to be entertaining so have fun with it.