Reflection – Storytelling

Challenge & Selection

We innately like to tell and listen to stories. Our minds have evolved to decipher the patterns in stories.  They can be used to create signals amidst the din. It can be used to convey complex concepts  understandable to even an ordinary mind in both intellectually and emotionally engaging manner.  Science explains that stories activate the auditory cortex of the human brain stimulating the frontal and  parietal cortices and thus makes us engaged. So storytelling would serve as an ideal tool in training.

To train the new recruits who do technical work such as programming, has always been a challenge in an  Information Technology company. During the induction programme, the freshmen became bored and  disengaged quite easily and that too within the first few days. Though they were explained the do’s and  don’ts, they repeated the same mistakes that their seniors did after their training. The mistakes were  cyclical. Reading manuals about avoiding mistakes was boring to them as it did not connect to them and  it was also disengaging, therefore they reached their atrophy faster than expected.

It was decided to experiment with storytelling as a tool to explain the mistakes already committed by  employees who had surpassed this stage. It was believed this tool would make the freshman engaged,  involved, stay focused and learn from others experience.

Application

The training sessions to these freshmen were broken down to storytelling sessions. Jennifer Aaker, a  Marketing Professor from Stanford opines that stories are 22 times more memorable than mere  statement of facts.

The mistakes already committed during programming by the more experienced employees in the  company were asked to share it through storytelling. Each employee made an account of some of the  common mistakes they committed while working on their projects.

After the induction programme, each freshman was given a sample project in a stimulated training zone.  After listening to practically all the stories of the experienced employees, they were asked to commit a  new mistake, which they had not heard in their storytelling sessions.  The task was to commit a new  mistake which should not be a repetition from the stories already told.

The freshmen were assigned a real time project and got their jobs confirmed only when they committed  a new mistake while programming, which was not told to them as a story during their training sessions.  When they committed a new mistake it was documented in the ‘Book of Blunders’ which was a  complete collection of the stories about the mistakes committed thus far in the company.   Every story  was listened with rapt attention since one could not afford to repeat the same. A freshman in fact  became exuberant every time when he/she committed a new mistake because he /she got the job  confirmation. Rarely, we celebrate our mistakes though we learn from them.

Insight and Approach

Employees came out of their shell and they shed their shyness in recounting their stories, which they  reckon were valuable lessons now, for themselves and for others. This tool makes it easy for them to  open up, especially when they understand the underlying purpose. Storytelling connects. It also serves  as reminders to themselves of the mistakes they did lest they repeat them again. The documentation of  the stories is now a treasure trove for the company. The anthology of mistakes christened as the ‘Book  of Blunders’ with the contents presented in storyboard style of presentation and with visualization tools,  will be useful down the years in training and can also be published for the larger good of the society.

This practice became so engaging that every department is likely to introduce the storytelling tool to  herald the mistakes an employee committed so that the others learn from his/her experience.  The  Marketing Department could conduct this by making their salesmen recount the sales deals they failed  to close, the lessons from failed promotions, etc. The research department could enumerate their  failures in the product development stages, since someone need not repeat it all over again wasting  resources or some freshmen could even have a solution to the glitch due to which the development of  the product stopped thus reviving the product and commercializing it. Wise people learn from others  mistakes, fools from their own!

Saeed Afridi


Reflection – Storytelling Challenge & Selection We innately like to tell and listen to stories . Our minds have evolved to decipher the patterns in stories . They can be used to create signals amidst the din . It can be used to convey complex concepts understandable to even an ordinary mind in both intellectually and emotionally engaging manner . Science explains that stories activate the auditory cortex of the human brain stimulating the frontal and parietal cortices and thus makes us engaged . So storytelling would serve as an ideal tool in training . To train the new recruits who do technical work such as programming , has always been a challenge in an Information Technology company . During the induction programme , the freshmen became bored and disengaged quite easily and that too within the first few days . Though they were explained the do ’s and don’ts , they repeated the same mistakes that their seniors did after their training . The mistakes were cyclical . Reading manuals about avoiding mistakes was boring to them as it did not connect to them and it was also disengaging , therefore they reached their atrophy faster than expected . It was decided to experiment with storytelling as a tool to explain the mistakes already committed by employees who had surpassed this stage . It was believed this tool would make the freshman engaged , involved , stay focused and learn from others experience . Application The training sessions to these freshmen were broken down to storytelling sessions . Jennifer Aaker , a Marketing Professor from Stanford opines that stories are 22 times more memorable than mere statement of facts . The mistakes already committed during programming by the more experienced employees in the company were asked to share it through storytelling . Each employee made an account of some of the common mistakes they committed while working on their projects . After the induction programme , each freshman was given a sample project in a stimulated training zone . After listening to practically all the stories of the experienced employees , they were asked to commit a new mistake , which they had not heard in their storytelling sessions . The task was to commit a new mistake which should not be a repetition from the stories already told . The freshmen were assigned a real time project and got their jobs confirmed only when they committed a new mistake while programming , which was not told to them as a story during their training sessions . When they committed a new mistake it was documented in the ‘ Book of Blunders ’ which was a complete collection of the stories about the mistakes committed thus far in the company . Every story was listened with rapt attention since one could not afford to repeat the same . A freshman in fact became exuberant every time when he / she committed a new mistake because he /she got the job confirmation . Rarely , we celebrate our mistakes though we learn from them . Insight and Approach Employees came out of their shell and they shed their shyness in recounting their stories , which they reckon were valuable lessons now , for themselves and for others . This tool makes it easy for them to open up , especially when they understand the underlying purpose . Storytelling connects . It also serves as reminders to themselves of the mistakes they did lest they repeat them again . The documentation of the stories is now a treasure trove for the company . The anthology of mistakes christened as the ‘ Book of Blunders ’ with the contents presented in storyboard style of presentation and with visualization tools , will be useful down the years in training and can also be published for the larger good of the society . This practice became so engaging that every department is likely to introduce the storytelling tool to herald the mistakes an employee committed so that the others learn from his / her experience . The Marketing Department could conduct this by making their salesmen recount the sales deals they failed to close , the lessons from failed promotions , etc . The research department could enumerate their failures in the product development stages , since someone need not repeat it all over again wasting resources or some freshmen could even have a solution to the glitch due to which the development of the product stopped thus reviving the product and commercializing it . Wise people learn from others mistakes , fools from their own ! Saeed Afridi