David Wilcox offers a view on storytelling and how it can be used in any community to increase understanding in terms of research and develop a programme by getting the community to build its own stories:
...and prefer doing projects that lead to action and not just another report on the shelf... so we suggested something entirely different. As I've written before, we proposed that we run workshops at which residents invented fictional characters and told their life stories, so we could analyse the issues that surfaced. To our surprise, we got the job - and pressed ahead with a storytelling kit developed by Drew that we could use and also hand on to local groups to use. It's the sort of thing that could fall flat, lead to pieces in the paper about wasting money on tale-spinning focus groups, or at best a polite thank you for the report but no follow-through. In fact it all turned out really well, thanks to the enthusiasm of those taking part...
I've worked very briefly with stroytelling in the past and am a great advocate. Stuart however has taken this a lot further.
I've always found qualitative research more rewarding and it certainly opened lots of doors when using an unstructured interview technique, however the story model seems to achieve so much more. I especially see this with my children and how it impacts them - stories change their world and its how they interpret it.
My favourite story about ntl is how my then manager described the comapny as Anglo-Saxon Britain, full of fiefdoms, petty kings and battles being fought over nothing. One of those petty kings eventually took him out. Vital information for any new manager there I feel. When I use to tell that story, so many of the people working there would agree and bemoan the fact. I regret not trying to get their stories to take it further.
Posted by Paul Goodison at June 30, 2005 03:03 PM | TrackBack