Sharing Knowledge Through Storytelling

"Knowledge is a bird in a forest: no one on his or her own can ever catch it." ~African Proverb

Storytelling: What is it?

Storytelling is an ancient and traditional way of passing on complex, multi-dimensional information and ideas through narrative. Of course, stories have many purposes and styles; of particular interest here are ‘knowledge-sharing stories’. Knowledge sharing stories convey in a holistic form, all the essential details of a critical or exemplary situation both information and emotion, both the explicit and the tacit, both the core and the peripheral context. Well-designed, well-told stories can help others learn from past situations to respond more effectively in future
situations. Such stories come in different forms and with a variety of labels e.g. cases, anecdotes, examples, histories or simply ‘experiences’.

Using stories effectively

Sharing knowledge effectively through stories requires attention to the
design of the story (story-crafting), the delivery of the story (story-telling),
and the response of the audience (story-listening).

Story-crafting
Effective knowledge-sharing stories are intentionally crafted for the
prospective audience. A good knowledge sharing story should be both
simple and accessible, offering a “streamlined, surrogate experience.”
Like fables and anecdotes, the story is stripped of excessive detail and
designed to make specific points. Rudy Ruggles of Cap Gemini E&Y
describes knowledge-sharing stories as “idea-wrapping”; the story should
‘wrap’ key ideas selected from an individual’s total experience.
The intended audience should determine the appropriate level of detail and
technicality. Simplicity makes a story easy to remember and easy to
introduce in different circumstances. For the best impact, the story
situation also should be accessible and relevant, addressing an issue close
to the listener’s own reality. It should be possible, even probable, that the
listener could experience a similar situation.
Good knowledge sharing stories are also open-ended rather than closed.
Closed stories signal the finality of the knowledge or insight. Open stories
signal “you could look at it this way” but don’t exclude alternative
interpretations. Sometimes this is accomplished by incorporating multiple
“voices” or perspectives in the story. Open-endedness encourages listeners
to reflect on and apply the lessons or insights of the story in their own
context.

Story-telling

The impact of a story will depend on its telling – who tells the story and
whether it is shared in an oral or written form. But storytelling also must
account for the size and heterogeneity of the potential audience.
First person stories often are experienced by audiences as more
passionate and more authentic. However, made-up stories are easily
recognized as inauthentic. Rather than claim a false experience, tell the
story in second person but focus it on a single clear protagonist.
Stories that are written down can reach a larger audience but they suffer
problems in their disconnection from the teller, linearity of the telling, and
their petrification in time. Written stories should be regularly revisited and
updated or rephrased to reconnect them with the language and issues of
the present.
The use of more than one medium can be valuable in helping a story to
stay vivid and reach a larger audience. The incorporation of video clips of
stories being told can capture many unspoken nuances, making the
speakers’ knowledge more real to the listeners.

Story-listening

It is critical for storytellers to monitor the reception of their stories. The
audience is engaged in creating knowledge while listening, so storytellers
and leaders should gauge how this knowledge is being constructed.
However, Rudy Ruggles warns against believing we can ‘manage’ stories
in organizations, especially if they are sufficiently open-ended for people
to learn from them. He points to urban legends, such as the Nieman
Marcus cookie recipe story, showing how stories get adapted through their
telling. But by tracking how a story is passed on person-to-person in the
organization, one can back up positive responses and respond to
unforeseen negative ones. Responses to stories can also reveal clues about
the audience’s capacity to learn from the story. Such insight should inform
the design and content of future stories.

When to use stories?

The value of stories for conveying knowledge rests in their flexibility,
handiness and portability. However, their use must suit the knowledge
sharing context. Situations where stories can be particularly effective
include those involving building trust, socializing new members, and
conveying simple but potent ideas to many people.
Alternative knowledge sharing techniques—e.g. mentoring, simulation,
modeling behavior, or reference to codified resources—can be more
effective than storytelling in some other knowledge-sharing situations. For
example, reference to codified resources is appropriate when rule-based
knowledge needs to be clearly communicated to bound behavior (e.g.
sexual harassment laws, tax codes, etc.), or when participants must
coordinate their actions in a crisis or urgent situation (e.g. cockpit team
trying to emergency land, an emergency room medical team.) Modeling
behavior and the use of symbolic objects (e.g. logos, signs) can be more
useful knowledge sharing modes for sustaining an idea, an attitude or
reminding people about a particular desired behavior already established
in an organization.

From a Learning Innovations Laboratory Article by: Deborah Sole