 Verbal messages which may be remembered for extremely long periods of time and which people perceive as a major influence on the course of their lives (Knapp, Stohl, & Reardon, 1981)

 Schinker, Ellis, & Ford, 20??

 What is your definition?  “…socially constructed accounts of past sequences of events that are of important to organizational members” (Feldman, 1990, p. 812)

 Ring True/Are Accurate  Have Relevance/Are Pertinent  Have a Sequence of Events  Sense of Temporality

 Hansen & Kahnweiler (1999) › Window to organizational life › Focus on norms › Natural way to discuss past events, problems, and people  Sax (2006) › Different people = Different meanings  Seglin, 2000; Swap, 2001; Love, 2008; Carr, 2011; Volker, 2011 › Be wary of artificial stories!

 Hansen & Khanweiler (1999) › Open lines of communication  Ready (2002) › Not speeches but catalysts for discussion  Sax (2006) › What is important?

 Dennehy’s (1999) 5 Steps: › Establish the setting › Build the plot › Resolve the crisis › Describe the lessons learned › Explain how the characters were changed

This week I had the pleasure to work with my colleagues on a project. My past experiences with teams has always been bad, so I must admit this was one of the best school related group projects I was involved in (Thank you Earthwise Consulting). My group members quickly responded with their recommendations on the Bucknell project, and were in agreement with choosing a leader. Victor and I had some fun with the name of our group, and I was reprehensive in making silly jokes (as I normally do), since it’s often hard to convey emotions in an online course. I further learned, that it’s somewhat hard to be personable when working on a project online. My wonderful team members were on tasks, but its hard for me to fully collaborate our efforts simply because we didn’t meet in person and perhaps were not fully understanding of each other’s view’s I really didn’t know if I offended Victor, when I unintentionally shortened his name to Vick for in one of our group discussions. He quickly told me that he dislikes being called Vick, and as I apologized, I couldn’t help but think of how slow it was for me to get to know my group members in this online course. I certainly think we would have had a more interesting conversation, Victor and I, about names. For instance, I would have told him about my longtime friend, Vick (not to mention my favorite NFL player’s last name); but of course I felt that conversation would have taken away from our focus from the task (very transactional if you will). Instead, I apologized and hoped I didn’t offend him (sorry again Victor).

 Hansen & Kahnweiler (1999); Pentland (1999); McLellan (2006)

 Reduce Uncertainty  Manage Meaning  Bonding Through Shared Identity

 “Stories are like ruts in the road that people follow and thereby recreate. For this reason narrative can be a particularly valuable source of insight about organizations” (Pentland, 1999, p. 712).  “Stories are a safe way for newcomers to be ‘shown the ropes,’ without getting thrown the ropes” (Pentland, 1999, p. 717).

 By easing change (Sax, 2006) › “Just tell ‘em” (Adamson, 2006)  Assumptions…  Employees don’t need have a need for background information  Employees totally accept decisions by leadership  Employees don’t have valid ideas of their own  It’s just an information issue  No fluff/entertainment is needed  By lessons learned (Harris & Barnes, 2006)  By breeding trust (Harris & Barnes, 2006)

ALL RESEARCHERS AGREE

 This is “us” and we’ve lived it! (Sax, 2006; Love, 2008; Thorpe, 2011)

“…understanding an organization’s stories may be critical to understanding the organization itself” (Brown, 1990, p. 185).

 Disclose something about you listeners didn’t know  Have a clear and compelling message  Avoid being boastful  Avoid sarcasm or implied negativity about listeners or someone known to them  Avoid “preaching”  Include an element in which others can identify  Be relevant to a current issue  Communicate empathy or understanding  Open door to new ideas or solutions  Start a conversation  Include playful or self-deprecating humor

 Mistakes and failures  Unexpected opportunities  Risk and reward  Choices and consequences  Lessons learned  Obstacles and challenges  Advice from a mentor  Someone who inspired me

 Mentoring opportunities  Introducing self to a new team  Orienting new employees  Starting a meeting about a new/different issue  Illustrating a concept  Reenergizing a team that has failed  Coaching  Leadership development  Getting a key point across to a team that needs to hear it  Beginning a conversation about a common problem  Moving organizational culture towards greater openness and a focus on learning

 Adult Learning  Digital Storytelling

 “Storytelling can clearly be viewed as the foundation of the teaching profession” (Abrahamson, 1998, p. 449).  Deep engagement with context (Clark, 2006)  Reinforces oral and listening skills (Bishop, 2006) › Facts easier to recall

 Discuss alternative endings  Discuss peripheral factors that may have influenced the characters  Have others retell the story after hearing it  Retell the story from another point of view

 “Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling”  Weaves… › Images › Music › Narrative › Voice  Transformational

Swarthmore

 The benefits (Dedman & Pearch, 2004) › Filling positions › Expertise › Student recruitment › Financial relief  The concerns › Teaching method/class prep › Relationship with students and colleagues › Grading practices  Assimilate, orientate, and mentor

LocationTotal Lettinga210 Online350 Campuses

Let’s Explore the Use of Storytelling with DU Adjuncts…