The human brain is pre-wired for stories, making storytelling one of the most powerful ways to communicate. A good story can help overcome skepticism, change behavior, and generate buy-in. The most effective communicators – across time and across cultures – use stories. I grew up with stories, as I suspect many of us did. But not just fairy tales and bedtime fables. Stories were how my family communicated to share experiences, preserve, and understand our history, and pass down values. Stories provided me with a sense of identity, and I learned at an early age how useful they can be.
I was a good fit then for CollaborateUp because storytelling is part of our company DNA. We utilize storytelling to create understanding and connections between diverse stakeholders, to build trust with an audience, and to communicate complex information in a simple and engaging way. We understand and harness the power of stories in our work every day. An example of this is our recent work in Uganda to train teams on multi-stakeholder engagement and co-creative partnerships. In designing the training curriculum, we spent time with teams on the ground to understand not only the issues they faced but the context in which they operated. We integrated Uganda-specific stories and cases throughout the training and used a final scenario-based practicum that allowed small groups to respond to real-world issues and then reflect and receive peer and instructor feedback. These local stories not only helped participants relate to the material and immediately apply new skills to actual problems, but they also made the learning stick. Scientists know that our brains are wired to understand and retain stories, much more than facts and figures. Wrapping learning in a story (scenario-based learning) is a great way to help ensure it gets applied. We think this worked in Uganda, as 94% of respondents to our training survey reported they were likely or very likely to apply course learnings to their work – a win for the team but a statistic you likely won’t remember.
If you’re looking to start your own storytelling journey or need help designing scenario-based learning, feel free to reach out to CollaborateUp for assistance.
Beth Skorochod, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, CollaborateUp