What role does storytelling play in learning and development?

Citation

Young, K. (2012), "What role does storytelling play in learning and development?", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 11 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2012.37211faa.007

What role does storytelling play in learning and development?

Article Type: Q&A From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 11, Issue 6

Leading industry experts answer your strategic questions

Many of us have experienced a PowerPoint presentation that has sent us into a semi-conscious state. Sadly, it is exactly this kind of experience that many workers associate with workplace training. Many feel they come away having learned and retained very little, and with more stress placed upon them after losing hours at their desks. Consequently, the concept of workplace training is not viewed as worthwhile by employees.

However, employers are aware that training is vital to the growth and development of their business. Nevertheless, when selecting a training provider, business leaders often get caught up in thinking about the content of the course, rather than concentrating on the delivery of the information – which is just as important.

When looking for ways to revamp your training program, storytelling is a good option. This article looks at how to integrate the art of storytelling into a training program to ensure lessons are absorbed by employees, applied on the job and delivered to create noticeable value to your business.

Don’t bombard employees

With our fast-paced world filled with constant distractions, key sections of training can often be discarded. The answer to this problem is not to throw information at people, as it simply doesn’t work; rather, find an appropriate medium that mixes the right amount of material in a way that helps participants retain what they have learnt. Storytelling, before pen and paper, was how our ancestors remembered their predecessors and ancient traditions. Storytelling is therefore an integral part of human history and a proven way for people to easily absorb information, including employee training. Whether it’s through a staged play, an executive sharing their experiences on video or animated videos depicting a situation, providing story-based elements in a training program is far more appealing than any other form of learning – especially compared to a monotonous presentation.

Create the perfect story

The following five key elements are involved in telling an engaging story:

1. 1.

   Firstly, the style of the overall story should be taken into consideration. Keep the number of characters in the story to a minimum and tell it in the present tense.

2. 2.

   Keep your speech casual, as if you were speaking to a friend. Learners are more able and keen to listen to someone speak if their style of speech is friendly and upbeat.

3. 3.

   Next, try to make the story truthful, pulled from personal experiences. The best stories stem from real life; not only will the story be more lively, but personal stories are much easier to tell and explain than if they are forced.

4. 4.

   Prepare, but don’t sound too rehearsed. Aim to keep speech light-hearted and sound spontaneous and free-flowing. By doing this you will allow people to feel relaxed, which will encourage them to interact, rather than simply sitting and listening.

5. 5.

   Lastly, keep it simple; be short, sweet and impactful. Choose a single message, phrase or theme that you are trying to convey and reinforce it. By referencing back to a single message, retention rates will improve even if you are trying to train a large group of learners.

The personal touch

Learners are more inclined to remember anecdotes, personal histories and analogies than charts, statistics and line graphs. It is easy for staff to become overwhelmed with facts and figures on every slide, and confusion is easily avoided with an engaging or even exciting story. Make your story stand out with a touch of personality by avoiding a lackluster tone. Training your employees is an important part of business and it doesn’t have to be a hassle or even, dare we say, tedious. If done correctly, many of the participants will enjoy the experience, and more importantly, apply what they have learnt to their roles. Ultimately, this is exactly what training programs are designed to do, so if you can see results, then you know you’ve struck gold.

Practice makes perfect

The art of storytelling is just that, an art. It requires confidence, practice and the ability to paint a picture for an audience using words alone. Some may find that this skill comes naturally, but it is possible to practice and transform yourself into a seasoned storyteller. It is a skill worth acquiring as it will ultimately be beneficial to your employees and therefore the company as a whole.

The right mix of training

Individual employees will often have different and preferred ways of learning. While storytelling can rejuvenate a face-to-face training session, other learners may benefit from a blend of learning methods. A mix of traditional classroom training, which allows the employees to interact, therefore adding a social aspect to learning, might be beneficial alongside a tailored e-learning solution. E-learning provides employees with the ability to log on, search for a specific topic relevant to them, and pop in and out of the program based on their daily schedules. It does not have to be completed in an allotted time and can be done when the individual is feeling less pressured. Many companies find the most success in training employees when they pull aspects of different learning solutions together to form their own unique program.

Kevin YoungHead of SkillSoft, EMEA.

About the author

Kevin Young is head of SkillSoft EMEA. He has 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, 14 of which have been in the technology-based training sector. Before joining SkillSoft, Young headed up CBT Systems UK operations, managing a team of more than 40. Between 1990 and 1998, Young held a series of sales/senior management positions with NETg International. He has a BSc (Hons) in Plant Biology and Geography from Newcastle University and was an Associate Member of the Institute of Personnel Management. Kevin Young can be contacted at: skillsoft@berkeleypr.co.uk