Example Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

For me, Storytelling is a proven device which I have used often than not, to drive home some salient  points to my listeners. It’s comparable to ingredients that are needed to cook a good meal. I am an  Aviation Technician, working in an industry where safety is paramount concern. Non adherence to  safety measures could be life costly not to mention the material expenses that comes with it. I have  worked in this field for a long time and now, I am imparting my knowledge to others aspiring to be in  this professional. So, as I have learned working alongside other colleagues, some of whom are young,  they often in their early stage, are prone to making costly and avoidable mistakes. I learned from  their narratives why they made some of those silly errors and shared my own stories with them as  well, to help them understand the processes in a vivid way. Because many of them are with strong  youthful exuberance and with minds full of adventure, it’s often very useful to demonstrate the need  for them to paying good attention and maintain focus why dealing with dangerous tasks that can  pose a threat their lives and others resulting from lapses in professional discipline. So, I share my  stories with them to help them avoid falling into such bottlenecks in their career. From their opinion I  was able to garner useful information to develop further improved methods to aid their professional  career.

Application

Let me tell a story of how I have used storytelling as a tool, in the past. In addressing the issues of  safety and its hazards from non-compliance at work, the company was grappling with the dilemma of  having to explain how to explain the consequences of dangers arising from accidents occurring due  to non-adherence to safety procedures, with highly graphical pictures of previous incidents. It was a  moral issue between depicting the reality or merely through verbal or written communications. So, I  thought the better way to go about this was to make a video simulation of what can happen and how  to avoid it in a kind of interactive way, in which everyone can participate. If the simulations can be  real enough with everyone experiencing what it could be like if an accident occurs without anyone  actually getting hurt in the process, then that might change their perception about the need to  prioritize safety in their activities.

Insight & Approach

I suggested the idea to our safety officer and through the support of the company, a Simulation  Videos where integrated into the program. Well it turn out that the workers appreciated the notion  too judging by the numbers of turnout for the classes and subsequent changes in their attitudes  towards safety measures.

I disclosed to some of the participants, how my perception about using safety belts changed, after I  had watched a video simulation about “test dolls” and see what can happen when not used in an  accident. Furthermore, also my drive with a professional car safety instructor.

This course has broadened my insight about the usefulness of it as tool in everyday life more than I  had previously thought possible.

Thanks to this new acquired knowledge, I can now make my preparations in advance and think about  stories that will aid me of how best to demonstrate my ideas.

