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A case of communicating values through storytelling

Dec 10, 2024

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It was a few years ago, one winter evening at the dinner table, when we learnt about the grandmas from England. With red cheeks and shiny eyes, our three-year-old told us about his grandma who lived in the red city and his brother, dad and I listened intently. They were stories with many grandmas and many cities. We learnt that grandmas also included grandpas, that they climbed into aeroplanes with nozzles on their backs and that they sometimes liked to land on the roof. We sat together, were closely connected and will never forget the stories again.


This was storytelling. The little one gave free rein to his creativity. They were stories that were created without any ulterior motives of marketing or employee management, which is what storytelling is often used for nowadays. Len simply wanted to tell a story. And he clearly signalled that it was important to him that we were together, that it was important to him that we listened to him. We could also clearly observe his creativity. He was a beginner in storytelling and was given the space and the audience. If you dare to tell a story in front of others and are listened to, it boosts your self-confidence and self-esteem - even in adults.


A story does not necessarily have to be divided into beginning, middle and end, nor does it have to capture our interest at the beginning and end with a satisfying resolution in order to be creative or entertaining. Especially when working with adults, who often approach creative things with less self-confidence and whose creativity is often somewhat impoverished, it is helpful to tell stories without pressure, simply spinning around, playfully and freely. It is precisely then that unforgettable situations can arise and creativity can grow.


But values are also conveyed in the opposite case - when I listen and understand things and recognise solutions through the story. Sometimes it helps to reflect together, sometimes the insights come naturally. The creative power of storytelling can unfold in many settings. Not only in families, also with adults (among others).


We knew at the time that Len had no grandmas in England. We knew, of course, that they didn't strap on nozzles to whizz into the aeroplane with them. But they were vivid stories and we will always remember them and the whole situation.


It can work the same way in adult education. Without coercion and too many rules.





Dec 10, 2024

2 min read

2

29

0

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