MODULE 2 – STORY TELLING

Challenge & Selection  Storytelling is a great tool that I use all the time. I work with vulnerable populations,  developmentally disabled individuals, senior citizens, and economically disadvantaged people.  Many of these people deal with oppression and dysfunction in every aspect of their lives, they  need to be empowered and inspiration is a path to empowerment. I spend a lot of time  “opening people up” and finding ways to inspire them to improve their circumstances. When I  work with seniors, we share stories for different reasons. Often they're lonely and are so  happy to share stories of their lives with me to connect and they find meaning in sharing these  experiences as a form of teaching and/or legacy, in a sense. With my developmentally  disabled clients I share stories of my life in order to help them visualize a state of  independence, I use their feedback against the context of my story to ascertain their goals, and  sometimes we use stories to better understand their interests and thought processes. I use  this information to develop different strategies to try and find a way that works for them to  gain more independence in the areas they find lacking in their lives.  Application  I have a story about using storytelling. In discussing policy changes with a social service  agency, I was trying to explain to them the benefits of taking a more client focused approach,  among other things, and in particular, of recognizing each person as a unique being, and  addressing their individual needs first and foremost. The agency was in the grip of a  “compliance culture” and its clients were failing in this non-empathetic, rigid structure. I was  also explaining how sometimes addressing the needs of one individual can impact everyone  for the better, even if it seems extreme or out of the ordinary. I told a story about when I ran  an emergency shelter after a natural disaster. Everyone was doing really well except for one  woman whose stress was making her very emotionally volatile. I could tell she needed  attention; in my mind I decided she would be “Princess for an hour.” I made her a cup of coffee  and sat down with her and let her talk. It turned out that her mother, who was with her, had  survived a brain aneurysm and she was terrified that she would fall or that some other crisis  would befall her during this disaster while in the shelter.  Insight & Approach  Well, wow, that was an eye-opener. Her mother was a calm presence and doing very well.  Clearly it was time for me to open up with my story. I told her how scary it was when my  father had his brain  aneurysm in front of me and how I had to get him to the hospital and how difficult and scary  that all  was. I shared how he recovered well, and then tied us together, by noting how she and I both  have  parents who survived brain aneurysms. This worked really well. She really needed individual  attention for that brief time, and she ended up with that and a true support. She calmed down,  her mother, who had become worried about her, calmed down, and everyone around them  calmed down. Peace reigned again in our little shelter.  So I told this story to the agency, and I think it had a big impact on people there. The policies  are being reevaluated and the caseworkers are going through new training. Sometimes a little  story can do a lot of good.  This course made me see this as a tool in a new way. When I've done it before it was really "ad  hoc," butnow I can prepare ahead and think of stories that will assist me in presenting my  ideas and best illuminate them.  I have a design background, but I ended up as an entrepreneur in business. I had no idea this  would ever be considered an asset, but I am so very grateful that it is!

