Framework 145 Storytelling to Drive Change
Introduction
"...Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories..."
Roger Schank as quoted by Nathan Garden et al, 2023
Benefits of story-telling include
- develops stronger teams, ie motivates people in ways beyond logic; helps you share who you are and what you stand for
- encourages imagination and curiosity which are the basis for creativity
- alleviates risk and encourages buy-in, ie storytelling creates five times more ownership than being told what to do
- helps generate new ideas and content that can inspire action
- can change people's mindset from supporters of status quo to change champions
- helps you understand the organisation's culture.
(for more details, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)
Stories have an emotional focus; can support and drive change as linked with underlying beliefs and values.
The brain and storytelling (see below diagram)
(source: Nathan Garden, 2023 et al)
Elements of storytelling to drive change
1. Define the change (what do you want to implement; vision; why now; what if we don't implement the changes)
2. Craft the narrative (use elements of a good story to craft the narrative that communicates the vision, the why for the change; what's in it for the organisation (including stakeholders like staff)
3. Communicate the narrative (share the narrative with all relevant stakeholders; using many channels to reach stakeholders with the general message tailored to their specific needs)
4. Involve people in the process (this allows people actively participate so they can co-create, co-design, co-develop, etc; this will increase the chances of ownership/buy-in, etc by relevant stakeholders, ie increase support for the change; people will provide feedback, ask questions, provide ideas, etc about the changes)
5. Monitor progress and adjust (need to check that progress is being made and resonating with the relevant stakeholders; be prepared to modify as required, especially to keep people motivated and engaged.
(source: Nathan Garden, 2023 et al)