About possibility, story & information
Welcome to possibility: where story and information intersect—a place to explore the ways that story and information combine (or collide) as we live our lives. As a librarian, I have a passion for both story and information. I love to watch stories unfolding and to observe the ways that information can change the outcome. I love to watch as information takes on value (or not) when mixed with an individual’s perception of their past, present and future story. There is no magic formula and everyone creates their own recipe.
A common definition of information is “knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc.” Defining story, of course, is more challenging. Within the context of living one’s life, the definition of “life story” or biography might apply: “an account of the series of events making up a person’s life.”
The purpose of this blog is to collect resources, ideas, strategies, and musings about the power of possibility—that is the magic that occurs at the intersection of story and information.
Specific goals include:
- exploring the value of sharing our experience, knowledge and expertise through story or examples in employment interviews, selling our services as professionals/entrepreneurs, writing an essay for grad school admission, or any other situation which requires that we “sell our selves” as experts or the best candidate.
- exploring the value of integrating information in the creation of our future stories—how can we ensure the best possible outcome (story) by incorporating research, the stories of others (talking to contacts, mentors, others who have traveled the same road), preparing ourselves by acquiring or improving skills, possibly reinterpreting our own stories (reframing), etc?
- raising awareness of the presence of story and the value of information on an individual level. We are players in the stories of friends, family members, co-workers, neighbours, community members, and the world. While it may sound cliché, the way that we interact with our networks has a reciprocal impact.
- increasing possibility through the intentional application of information and story in our lives.
I’d love to hear about your experiences, ideas, and resources you know about. Email me with your thoughts.
Comments
Comment from jennifer zunikoff
Time: February 13, 2008, 2:36 pm
I am always interested in raising awareness about how people can use stories to help others. I think it is especially important that educators tell stories to teach and empathize with their students (children or adults) and parents use storytelling to help their children with challenges in their lives. I work as a professional storyteller and storytelling coach and I find that most people think storytelling can only be used by certain people who have speaking talent. I would like to learn ways to help educators and parents to learn that we all use stories to help teach and that we can more consciously learn to use storytelling with our children and students. To use your words, I would like to “increase possibility through the intentional application” of story in our lives.
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