Storytelling (method)

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Storytelling (German: “Tell stories”) is a narrative method with which explicit, but above all implicit knowledge is passed on in the form of leitmotifs , symbols , metaphors or other means of rhetoric . It is mainly used in digital media, but it has a long tradition. The audience not only consumes the story by listening, reading or watching, but can also be actively involved as a prosumer in the implementation on news portals, blogs , streaming platforms and in virtual reality . The term storytelling is closely related to that of the narrative .

Storytelling is used in education, knowledge management , corporate communication , as a problem-solving method and as a marketing method , among other things . In science, it is used to convey expert knowledge to a lay audience, but is occasionally rejected because of its supposedly manipulative character. Special variants are interactive storytelling, data storytelling, transmedia storytelling and location-based storytelling.

Basics about the method

A vividly told story wins the attention and concentration of other people more easily than a logical and objective presentation of facts. That is why storytelling has been used for thousands of years to pass on complex knowledge in cultures . The story can be based on true facts, be fictional, or combine both true facts and fictional elements. Storytelling generates memories and promotes learning . Storytelling works with associations in a similar way to the construction of memory in the brain . Subtexts are generated via dramaturgy and narrative elements, which enable long periods of time to be remembered. The understanding of storytelling is closely related to narrative theory , which formalized fundamental knowledge about the structure of stories in literary studies . Storytelling determines the course of action, the characterization of the characters and the narrative perspective of the story. Storytelling creates a meta-level to convey an overarching meaning, wisdom or socio-cultural togetherness. This happens through a personification with the hero or antihero of the story, who arouses feelings such as fear, anger, joy, desire etc. in the audience through his involvement in the dramatic event.

Even if the audience doesn't really understand every detail, they will still grasp the core of the story. When listening, people often enter a relaxed trance state in which they can absorb content even more deeply. Most of the time the story continues to work in the unconscious, and insights continue to mature for a long time. Fables and anecdotes are often told or wisdom is expressed in a punch line . In addition to language, storytelling also includes other personal means of expression such as gestures , facial expressions and the voice . The basic pattern of the story must always come from the world of the listeners, i.e. the world of the schoolchildren, the patients, the customers or the company.

Telling stories fulfills many tasks: conveying life experience, passing on knowledge, conveying factual information, finding solutions to problems, initiating thought processes, defining role expectations, stimulating behavior change, expanding the repertoire of behaviors, conveying entertainment, norms and values, promoting visual awareness, motivating to action, creating hope and meaning give.

Storytelling as an art form

Storytelling has gained new popularity in Germany since 2000. In contrast to theater, storytelling is free. In addition to amateurs, professionals who make a living by telling stories are increasingly appearing as storytellers . Stories are told for both children and adults. They can be traditional stories such as fairy tales and legends, but also modern stories. Some storytellers do not insist on copyright in their story because it is not in line with their view of narrative tradition. There are now many storytelling festivals around the world.

Storytelling in psychotherapy

Storytelling is used as a therapeutic technique in “ narrative psychology ”. The therapeutic dialogue between therapist and client is viewed as a shared narrative process. Stories are basic experiences. Stories determine how people behave, how they feel and how they sense from new experiences construct . Stories organize the information about a person's life. Stories shape the perspectives people have about their life, their past and future.

"Telling" takes place on three levels:

  • The client tells his story and how he solves his life tasks.
  • The therapist tells “stories” that contain ideas for solutions.
  • The therapy itself, the relationship between therapist and client, shapes its own story.

In this dialogue, therapist and client jointly develop new, alternative narratives that expand the client's room for maneuver and can thus help him to solve his problems.

The American psychiatrist Milton Erickson conveyed therapeutic content with the help of anecdotes, with which he sought to address messages beyond conscious thinking to the unconscious. In Ericksonian hypnotherapy , metaphors and parables are often used to initiate therapeutic changes.

Storytelling in companies

In companies, stories are used strategically to convey traditions , values ​​and corporate culture , to awaken resources , but also to visualize conflicts in a metaphor and "get under the skin" and to show possible solutions. Employee stories are used to obtain information about the corporate culture and to reveal costly process weaknesses. Compared to abstract information, stories have the advantage of being more understandable, more memorable and being able to create meaning and identity.

Storytelling is also used as a marketing method by companies. Trend researcher Matthias Horx recommends : “Marketing tomorrow means telling a story about people who have decided to produce something that people really love and need. Because it's unusually beautiful. Or solving real problems. Because it saves the world. Or be fun in a way that people were created for. "

Learning history

One of the best-known storytelling methods in this context is the “learning histories approach” developed at MIT , USA in the mid-1990s . With this method, employees' (experience) knowledge about certain events in the company (such as a reorganization, a merger , a pilot project) from the most varied of perspectives of those involved is recorded, evaluated and processed in the form of a shared experience history. The aim is to document the experiences, tips and tricks made and thus to make them transferable and usable for the entire company.

Storytelling analysis

Employee stories are also used to obtain information about corporate culture, communication and values. For this purpose, work biographical narratives in companies are collected and evaluated through non-directive, narrative interviews. Here - similar to qualitative heuristics - the discovery of previously unknown problems, questions and solution options is of central importance . Experience stories of the relevant process participants (e.g. employees, suppliers) and observers (e.g. customers, shareholders) result in a multi-dimensional picture of the actual company reality. In comparison with the objectives of management, there is a need for communication and development.

This approach assumes that the narratives are evaluated using appropriate methods. In addition to the information on the text surface, this also makes the implicit meanings that are always present in narratives accessible for analysis. Methods from structural text science and semiotics are used here. This approach was developed in Germany in the late 1990s by literary scholars Karolina Frenzel, Michael Müller and Hermann Sottong . Areas of application for storytelling analysis are strengths and weaknesses analysis of companies, development of mission statements and brand values, preparation and follow-up of quantitative employee surveys and the detection of costly process weaknesses.

In religious education

Religious content is conveyed as stories around the world. The best known are the Old and New Testaments , the Upanishads and the Talmud . In devotions, preachers often tell metaphorical stories to convey their religious messages to believers.

See also

Literature (alphabetical)

  • Gottfried Adam : Tell. In: Gottfried Adam, Rainer Lachmann (Hrsg.): Methodical compendium for religious instruction. Volume 1: baseband. 4th, revised edition. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2002, ISBN 3-525-61409-8 , pp. 137-162.
  • Ingo Baldermann : storytelling as a form of teaching. In: Ingo Baldermann: Introduction to Biblical Didactics. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1996, ISBN 3-534-10394-7 , pp. 91-117.
  • Stephen Denning: The Leader's Guide to Storytelling. Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco CA 2005, ISBN 0-7879-7675-X .
  • Daniel Duss: storytelling in advice and leadership. Theory. Practice. Stories. Springer, Berlin 2016, ISBN 978-3-531-19782-1 .
  • Gail Ellis, Jean Brewster: Tell it again! - The new storytelling handbook for primary teachers . Penguin English, Harlow 2002, ISBN 0-582-44777-1 .
  • Christine Erlach, Karin Thier: Using stories to raise tacit knowledge in organizations. In: Boris Wyssusek (ed.): Knowledge management complex. Perspectives and Social Practice. Schmidt, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-503-07822-3 , pp. 207-226.
  • Tanja Faust: storytelling. Bring the abstract to life with stories. In: Günter Bentele , Manfred Piwinger, Gregor Schönborn (ed.): Communication management. Strategies, knowledge, solutions. No. 5.23. Loose-leaf edition. Luchterhand, Neuwied et al. 2006, ISBN 3-472-04906-5 , pp. 1-30.
  • Karolina Frenzel, Michael Müller, Hermann Sottong: The company in your head. Storytelling and the power to change. 2nd Edition. Kastner, Wolnzach 2005, ISBN 3-937082-38-7 .
  • Karolina Frenzel, Michael Müller, Hermann Sottong: Storytelling. The Harun al-Raschid principle. Use the power of storytelling for your company. Hanser, Munich et al. 2004, ISBN 3-446-22687-7 .
  • Werner T. Fuchs: Why the brain loves stories. Storytelling - analog and digital. 4th edition. Haufe-Lexware, Freiburg im Breisgau 2018, ISBN 978-3-648-10250-3 .
  • Werner T. Fuchs: Crash course storytelling. Basics and implementation 2nd edition. Haufe-Lexware, Freiburg im Breisgau 2018, ISBN 978-3-648-11700-2 .
  • Paul Gardner, Elizabeth Gruegeon and others: The Art of Storytelling for teachers and pupils. Using stories to develop literacy in primary classrooms. David Fulton, London 2000, ISBN 1-85346-617-4 .
  • Konrad Peter Grossmann: The flow of storytelling. Narrative forms of therapy. Carl Auer Systems Verlag, Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 3-89670-139-8 .
  • Stefan Hammel: Handbook of therapeutic storytelling. Stories and metaphors in psychotherapy, child and family therapy, medicine, coaching and supervision. Klett-Cotta, Freiburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-608-89081-5 .
  • Albert Heiser : Bullshit Bingo. Storytelling for advertising copy. Creative-Game-Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-9809718-0-5 .
  • Pia Kleine Wieskamp: storytelling - digital - multimedia - social, forms and practice for PR, marketing, TV, game and social media. Hanser, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-446-44645-8 .
  • Walter Neidhart: From telling biblical stories. In: Walter Neidhart, Hans Eggenberger (Hrsg.): Storybook for the Bible. Volume 1: Theory and Examples. 6th edition. Kaufmann et al., Lahr 1990, ISBN 3-7806-0258-X , pp. 13-112.
  • Doug Stevenson: The Story Theater Method. Strategic storytelling in business. Gabal, Offenbach 2008, ISBN 978-3-89749-849-5 .
  • Karin Thier: storytelling. A narrative management method. Springer, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 978-3-540-23744-0 .
  • Michael Titzmann: Narrative Structures in Semiotic Expressions. In: Hans Krah, Michael Titzmann (ed.): Media and communication. An interdisciplinary introduction. 3rd, greatly expanded edition. Karl Stutz, Passau 2013, ISBN 978-3-88849-339-3 , pp. 113-141.
  • Silvia Zulauf: Company and Myth. The invisible success factor. Gabler, Wiesbaden 1994, ISBN 3-409-18754-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael F. Dahlstrom: Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science with nonexpert audiences . In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . tape 111 , Supplement 4, September 16, 2014, ISSN  1091-6490 , p. 13614–13620 , doi : 10.1073 / pnas.1320645111 , PMID 25225368 ( pnas.org [accessed January 8, 2019]).
  2. ↑ Andrea Bittelmeyer: Stories that the company writes. Storytelling. In: Manager seminars. Issue 78, July / August 2004, ISSN  0938-6211 , pp. 70-78, ( online ).
  3. ↑ Matthias Horx: Adieu, Marketing! . Future Institute. August 2015
  4. ↑ David Mock: Storytelling: What is told counts . Future Institute. August 2015
  5. ↑ Christine Erlach, Karin Thier: Using stories to raise tacit knowledge in organizations. In: Boris Wyssusek (ed.): Knowledge management complex. Perspectives and Social Practice. 2004, pp. 207-226; Art Kleiner, George Roth: How to make better use of experience in the company. In: Harvard Business Manager. Vol. 20, No. 5, 1998, pp. 9-15.
  6. ↑ cf. Michael Titzmann: Narrative Structures in Semiotic Expressions. In: Hans Krah, Michael Titzmann (ed.): Media and communication. An interdisciplinary introduction. 3rd, greatly expanded edition. 2013, pp. 113–141.
  7. ↑ cf. Michael Titzmann: Structural Text Analysis. Theory and Practice of Interpretation. 3rd, unchanged edition. 1993.
  8. ↑ cf. Tell me. Three literary scholars are looking for the answers to such questions in an obvious place: in the stories told by the staff. In: brand eins. Vol. 2, No. 4, 2000, ISSN  1438-9339 , pp. 128–133, ( online ( memento of the original from October 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check Original and archive link according to instructions and then remove this note. ). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.brandeins.de