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Finding Stories That Convey Your Valuesby Doug Lipman
This article appeared in The Storytelling Coach Newsletter. Table of Contents:
Over the years, I’ve helped many tellers improve a story by discovering what, for them, is the story’s central meaning. In short, I’ve helped them take a story and determine what they want it to communicate. But what about the reverse process? If we start from a value that we want a story to convey, how do we find a story to do the job? This is the process I’ve come to call Value Telling (TM). It has three major parts. 1. Clarifying the value The first part of the process - easy to skip, but essential to an efficient use of your time - is to think carefully about the value you want to convey. (In this article, I’ll focus on “values,” but a similar process works with a concept, “lesson,” or any form of idea.) Suppose the value we want to explore through stories is “cooperation.” Begin by talking about what cooperation means to you. For example, are you thinking of willing cooperation, as on a joint venture? Or are you imagining cooperation between folks who might tend to think of each other as competitors or adversaries? Go on to list the particulars you might want to communicate about cooperation. For example, you might come up with a list something like this:
The more pieces you can recognize of what “cooperation” means to you, the easier it will be to come up with stories. 2. Scanning for memories and images The second step is to scan for your associations with the items on the list you just made. I usually divide this process into two parts, “memories” and “images.” Memories
On the other hand, the first episode you thought of may compel you. If you feel strongly about it, stay with it. Tell it fully to a partner. Get appreciations. If it seems at all promising, tell it again. Images 3. Developing the stories Once you have a memory or an image, you’ll likely be on more familiar storytelling ground. Tell your memory or image, get appreciations, find it’s “MIT” for you, retell. Repeat until satisfied. There is an extra step, however, to make sure the story remains relevant to value you’ve chosen for it. After you tell your image or memory aloud a time or two, ask yourself, “What is the ‘story’ of cooperation in this story?” In other words, what are the beginning and ending states of this story with regard to cooperation? Then find the episodes that most clearly embody this progress and its turning points. Experiments in Value Telling (TM) I’ve begun doing 1-day workshops in the corporate world, helping executives embody their values in stories. I’ve been able to lead them through a short form of the process described above. But this subject really deserves a full weekend. So I’ve set up a first-ever “Value Telling (TM)” weekend on the oceanside in Scituate, Massachusetts. (For more information, email, call or write.) If you have experimented with this process - or another one for coming up with stories to express values - I’d love to hear about your experiences! HOME . SERVICES . PUBLICATIONS . STORIES . ARTICLES . RESOURCES Doug Lipman This page was last updated on Friday, November 28, 2003
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