“Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord within us… Those in leadership positions who do not grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies and for themselves.” [John Kotter, A Few Quotations]

So, what is the most effective story structure? So many educators have weighed in on this topic over the many decades. Before me, during my existence, and if the world carries on, perhaps long after I am gone. And yet, in the words of a Biblical wise man of whom it has been posited to be the wisest of mortals to have ever walked the earth, “The thing that hath been, it is which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” [Biblegateway, Ecclesiastes 1:9, KJV]

The Egyptians remain a timeless marvel and intrigue through their storytelling hieroglyphics taught and studied in institutions of learning spanning secondary -to- undergraduate -to- post graduate with an abundance of study curricular. Invariably there is a beginning, a middle, and end that relates the rise, crescendo, and fall of their empires.

The Greeks enamor us with feats of their deities, demigods, and mortal men favored or despised, yet all still pawns in the end; polarizing us in the attention we pay to the splendor of valor, or the treachery bred of scorn, infidelity indiscriminately practiced by most; all captured in the paintings, sculptures, and plays of a culture enthralled with themselves in telling their stories, living long after they have become dust blown from the face of the earth. But not forgotten. In our studies of them, we have invariably, subconsciously, become a part of their story. We seemingly, are there. Invariably, there is a beginning, a middle, and end that relates the rise, crescendo, and fall of each adventure. Such is the power of an effective story, “Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” [Xu Kuang, Quotable Quote]

The structure of a good story requires that the storyteller demonstrates the ability to clearly debate the merits of their proposal. The inability to identify, understand, and succinctly state, communicate the problem, and the BHAG in addressing the problem to be solved; then “It doesn’t much matter what your proposal is. People aren’t going to consider anything until they are convinced there is a problem that truly needs to be addressed.” [John Kotter, 2010, The Right Mindset…]

The storyteller must find a way to teleport their audience into being “players” in the game. “What’s less effective – and far more common – is to make a dry business case that, even if correct, is usually less persuasive and less memorable than it needs to be.” [John Kotter, 2011, Before You can…] Invariably, there must be a beginning, a middle, and a targeted end pointing to the desirable outcomes.

Hero complex? Guilty! I suspect many (or some…) of you who read this post can identify with me, of embracing the aura of being the all-conquering hero that concocted the solution to a problem, big or small.

A small problem, can I recall? Absolutely. Back in primary school on the island of Jamaica,  when I was ten (10) years old, my class went on a school trip to Hope Gardens, the premier National Botanical Gardens and Zoo. Such excitement for each of us. Visiting, watching the various animals and reptiles in created simulated habitats were exciting, scary, fulfilling. Then came lunch time where we sat on one of the most beautifully manicured horticultural landscape I had ever seen. Trees, bushes, flower beds, a maze of ferns everywhere After lunch, we prepped to head to the next adventure of sightseeing, when our head teacher said, “Halt!”. One of our fellow classmates had lost her watch, and we needed to help find it. To ensure that we are all engaged in the hunt, “The one who finds your classmate’s watch will get a financial reward of 20 cents!” Now before you laugh and trying not to date myself too much… that was a lot of money back then for a 10-year-old!!!

Oh, I had incentive alright. I remembered every Hardy Boys novel of crime solving mysteries, every Batman – The World’s Greatest Detective comic I ever read, every Sherlock Holmes (black and white then) movies I ever watched, and decided to employ some of their strategies while my classmates scurried off in every direction trying to find the watch.

I walked up to my classmate and asked, “Judith, where were you sitting last when you were having your lunch?” She pointed to an area 15-20 yards away from where everyone else was frenetically running around like “chickens with their heads cutoff” (I actually know what this looks like, remember I am from the island and Sunday dinner “is” served). I then further asked her, “Who else was with you when you were having lunch?” She pointed out 2 other female classmates. They were cute, but that was not my focus. FOCUS YOU ALL! Remember the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG)? I AM TALKING ABNOUT GETTING 20 cents! So I quickly looked at the other two classmates visually inspecting if they had bulging pockets, or were there any containers in which they could hide a watch. I concluded probably not. So, I politely excused myself from Judith, walked 15-20 yards in the direction she pointed to, hands in pocket, quietly, intentionally started looking around. Searching, gently using my feet to separate the green grass apart, about 3-4 inches high, and… lo, behold… the WATCH WAS FOUND! I was the hero, but more importantly I was 20 cents richer!

A bigger problem I can recall, I shared in a related post when I took course EDLD_5313 (Learning Revolution… click here to read more)

Whereas the hero complex was bravado appealing in both scenarios, the truth I clearly understood in the latter, being more experientially matured, was that my success was based on evoking in my audience, the recipients a need to respond to my “Call to Action”. The right questions at 10 years old gave me the precise, right responses I was looking for, at 10 years old. The right questions as the onsite installation and commissioning (I&C) engineer in 1992 offered me an understanding that enabled me to create a “Call to Action” that was dynamically evolving with the assistance of and before a live audience. Invariably there was a beginning, a middle, and a targeted end pointing to the desirable outcomes that were achieved.

So really, “hero” here, when framed around the idea and understanding of getting my/your audience to come alongside me/you in realizing that I/you have THE solution, but really am helpless, staring at a “DO NOT PASS GO” sign, cannot do anything without you/them; then yes that definition is acceptable and correct. Anything else is just a good idea that is a few steps away from the graveyard of good intentions that were never given an opportunity to experience the nuances of success.

Subsequently, my innovation plan calling for the mandatory implementation of providing blending learning options to our learners/clients of my organization, is intentionally geared to address my superiors, my peers across departments, and my immediate department team (click here to read more…). The semantics of the presentation delivery commensurate with addressing how the project will be viewed by each group through their positional lenses; and deliberately appeals to gap-bridging a connection, creating an overlapping intersection that we all have “some skin” ownership in this game if we are to win it for and on behalf of our learners. Achieving that, means that we all, would have also won. Invariably, it has a beginning, a middle, and targeted end pointing to the desirable outcomes.

References

Kotter, J.P. A Few Quotations On The Power Of Stories. Retrieved from: http://www.lionswhiskers.com/2011/11/few-quotations-on-power-of-stories.html

Ecclesiastes 1:9. KJV. Retrieved from: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%201:9&version=KJV

Xun Kuang. 312-230 B.C. Quotable Quote. Goodreads Inc. Retrieved from: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7565817-tell-me-and-i-forget-teach-me-and-i-may

Kotter, J.P. February 2011. Before You Can Get Buy-In, People Need to Feel The Problem. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2011/02/before-you-can-get-buy-in-peop.html

 Kotter, J.P. October 2010. The Right Mindset For Buy-In. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2010/10/the-right-mindset-for-buy-in.html