Reflection: Storytelling

Challenge and Selection

Storytelling is a useful tool no matter what part of your life you are in where you have many peers to  deal with. Be it in a complete or somewhat organizational structure. The most use I've found for it yet  has been during my university days when getting to know my peers and achieving maximum efficiency  as a group. Many instances when a person is not getting along with the group or is having trouble being  in sync. Sitting down with those people and listening to their stories and telling mine is a good way to  get a deeper understanding of what goes through their head? It further helps in deciding a strategy that  will extract maximum efficiency from all the parties involved.

Application

A previous instance where I have used storytelling as a solution is when a person in my case study  analysis group refused to do the work that he was assigned. All the group members were given equal  work but this person was not comfortable with the TYPE of work he was given, which involved mostly  calculations. He was given practical portion of the work because it was common knowledge between  everyone that he was better with calculation involved questions. I could sense a level of discomfort from  him when he was told what he was supposed to do. So, thinking that there is something that is going  unnoticed, I asked if I could speak with him privately regarding this matter. And with further enquiry he  opened up and told me how even though he is good with these questions, he is still uncomfortable  working with new people as he is not confident enough and is scared of messing up and later on being  judged for it.

Insight and Approach

Before hearing his side of the story, that person was “just a nuisance” to the whole group. But after  looking at all of this from his perspective, I realized he simply needs help for something that is giving him  trouble at being his best. So, I also told him about how when I was younger, I used to have self-doubt as  well. And how I overcame it by simple perseverance and practicing my work in front of other people.  What mattered the most was that what really helped him was that now he knew that there was  somebody in the group that could relate with his problem.

Later on, I discussed about this problem with the whole group and we were able to assign the work  individually in a more comfortable manner. Instead of one person doing the practical work we had two  now so that they could help each other.

Given how storytelling has proven to be helpful in so many other instances as well. I consider myself a  heavy advocate for it’s usage in Design Thinking.

