Storytelling  The Path to Innovation

Dr Sakir Ahmad

Challenge & Selection

Be it any organization, team or a government venture, I have often observed that they experience  failures because they couldn’t connect with their audience aptly. In such scenarios, storytelling  can turn the table significantly. I have used the tool ‘storytelling’ in my organization to convey a  complicated message as simply as possible or to generate ideas from people around me. The idea  is to implement this innovative tool to make the intricate issues understandable and engage the  targeted audience. I relayed the context of the story to captivate the attention of the audience. I  have used the technique in front of my team-members of the organization to impart its essence,  brainstorm notions, make productive connections and develop appropriate strategies. The crucial  element in storytelling is to engagingly answer the questions raised in the story to its targeted  audience and allow them to resonate with the core subject of the story. When I shared the story, I  tried to gain the insights from the audience as to how the characters inspire them and how it  related to their work emotions. The information and feedback immensely helped me in  recognizing its importance in finding solutions in real world.

Application

I used the storytelling tool in an organizational meeting to help the team members visualize the  essence and impact of revolutionary thinking. I understood that the story has to make sense so  that they can comprehend the context and relate with it. I started the story of the time when there  was an emergence of deadly diseases due to mosquitoes i.e. malaria etc. and a company brought  a revolution by introducing a range of mosquito repellent products. I emphasized on its out-of- the box thinking & ideas that made the brand conquer the market. I observed that my audience  were sincerely engaged and were emotionally connected with the company. After I finished, there  were questions and productive interactions which exhibited that they relate it with their ongoing  project. The enthusiasm of thinking afresh was quite overwhelming.

Insight & Approach

When I analysed the whole series of events it made me wonder, “Did my tool work? The answer I  think is ‘YES’. Will it serve the purpose? I think that time will tell but I believe it will certainly aid  them in making apt strategies.”

The exercise portrayed that a revolutionary story can influence a small number of people then  storytelling as a design-thinking tool, if implemented efficiently, can bring ground-breaking  changes in organizations & countries. I observed that my story engaged my targeted audience,  inspired them to think new and deliver better results.

As a student of design thinking, I can explore this tool from all corners and can confidently say  that I can creatively use it in number of inspiring ways at any appropriate phase of design thinking  activities.

