I’m writing an in-depth article about the use of “story” in capturing knowledge from employees before they move on. If you’ve ever tried to write a “manual” to leave behind when you move to a new position, you are very familiar with the challenges of imparting ALL of what you know. Some say that knowledge is “social”… that we need to have conversations with others in order for it to come to the surface or to be transferred. We’ve all experienced the realization that we know much more that we thought we knew–that we can articulate knowledge in conversation that we could not have produced without the discussion.

While “story” may be an element of mentoring, coaching, and other approaches to knowledge exchange, I’m specifically interested in story as the primary technique. It may be used within a community of practice model, brown-bag lunch sessions, or exit interviews … or possibly many other scenarios. These are the types of situations I’m interested in hearing about.

A parallel interest is that features of organizational culture that encourage development and transfer of tacit knowledge (space and opportunity for conversation, valuing interpersonal communication and sharing of experiences, appreciation for individual experience and exploration) are also features that nurture creativity in the workplace. Is there recognition or acknowledgement of such a link within organizations nurturing tacit knowledge exchange? Is creativity recognized as a valuable by-product of “story as a tool for knowledge exchange”–or vice versa?

I’d be very interested in hearing from you if you have experience with this topic (on either side–as a leaving employee or as a facilitator) or if you know of organizations utilizing story for knowledge strategies with employees who are leaving.

Please contact me by email at shelley AT shourstonandassociates DOT com. Thanks for your help!

So what do “sticky ideas” have to do with “reluctant self-marketers”—a label I use with empathy and a great deal of insider knowledge? Chip Heath, a professor of organizational behaviour at Stanford and Dan Heath, a former researcher at Harvard and now a consultant, use “story” to convey the secrets of successful and memorable communication. The Heaths write (p. 16), “As we pored over hundreds of sticky ideas, we saw, over and over, the same six principles at work.” They go on to describe the six principles with fascinating research, stories, and examples. The principles are: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. The acronym for their recipe is SUCCESs. Made to Stick is one of the most useful resources I’ve found—for those of us who are reluctant self-marketers as well as for the rest of you. You can visit the website for articles, interviews and Chip and Dan Heath’s blog.

Annette Simmons, author of numerous books, including The Story Factor, has a new title called Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact. In this book, Simmons provides a guide to developing personal stories to cover any scenario we are likely to encounter in our professional (and personal) lives, including: Who-I-am stories, Why-I-am-here stories, Teaching stories, Vision stories, Value-in-action stories, and I-know-what-you-are-thinking stories. Full of examples to illustrate her ideas, this book describes why story is so powerful and when and how to use stories successfully. If you are unsure of the value of story in communicating your character and expertise, this book will convince you. If you are already a believer, this book is a treasure and a lot of fun to read.

You can read more about Annette Simmons and her work at her website, Group Process Consulting.

Roger Carl Schank’s work originally focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and how computers could be programmed based on what we know about how human beings learn. Since then, he has shifted his focus from AI to human intelligence.

In the following quote from pages 84-85 of his book Tell Me a Story: Narrative and Intelligence (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1995), Shank says:

It is all well and good to say that understanding means telling good stories and to say that we respond to stories with stories, but this leaves out a key question: How do we find the stories that we wish to tell? And from this question there follows another question: How does one know that one has a story to tell? The answer to both these questions is one word: indexing. [Music to a librarian's ears!]

No matter how the story of Artificial Intelligence is told, no matter whose point of view is adopted about how the mind works or how a computer mind might work, the problem always reduces to search. A mind must be able to find what it needs to find, and it must know that it has found it. To tell a story, you must have labeled it properly, stored it away with a name that will allow it to be found, possibly many years later, when some process calls its name. If there is no way to find a story, it might as well not exist. If it cannot be found by reference to its content rather than by reference to a number or unrevealing name, for example, then it might as well not be there.

How often do you think of a story about an experience in your past in
response to a conversation or event today? Sometimes we remember things that we haven’t thought of for years. Shank’s comments highlight the importance of preparing in advance the stories that illustrate our strengths and expertise. Walking into a job interview or meeting with a potential client HOPING that you’ll hear something that will spark a memory of a perfect story is VERY optimistic … and probably not very effective. If your goal is to convey your best self, don’t rely on your indexing system! Stress has a way of wreaking havoc on human indexing systems.

So what’s the answer? Have a collection of your stories ready to draw upon! Spend time identifying your strengths, attributes, and expertise
well before you ever meet someone who might be interested. This is an exercise that will take more than an hour at a cafe. Ask your colleagues and friends for their opinions–as difficult as that might be. It’s human nature to play down our strengths and knowledge.

Once you have a list of strengths and expertise, develop a portfolio
(written to start, but you’ll need to be able to recall them at will) of
stories–experiences that illustrate your skills in action–not a
shopping list of events. These should be interesting stories that
communicate your emotion and enthusiasm as well as your strengths. They need not be long and might be only a few sentences long. My favourites are the stories that can be used to convey a range of different strenghts or positives. In fact, I’ve been told that my use of a particular story more than once in a job interview indicated an ability to perceive different aspects of a situation [yes, I got the job].

When you’re preparing for an interview or meeting, knowing as much as possible about what the interviewer or client wants is key to being
prepared with your best stories.

Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

Lori L. Silverman, editor and author of Wake Me Up When the Data is Over: How Organizations Use Stories to Drive Results (highly recommended), offers articles and information about the value of story on her website. In one of her articles called “Five Reasons to Use Stories to Make a Point,” Silverman describes compelling reasons to use story in communicating whenever possible. Stories:

1. deliver a memorable message that’s easy to retell
2. captivate your audience and increase listening
3. enable the listener to integrate the information with their own thoughts and knowledge
4. touch your listener on an emotional level and initiate change
5. create a connection between you as the storyteller and your listener

Visit the website for “featured stories,” and links to additional resources and upcoming conferences.

1. the story of the owner
2. the product’s story
3. the story of the business
4. customer stories
5. the story of “your mission”

She adds, “Telling the Real Story of your business makes a powerful connection with potential customers. It can be the springboard to compelling media coverage. It can differentiate you from competitors in ways they can’t copy.”

Gail Z. Martin is owner of DreamSpinner Communication and helps US and Canadian companies “tell the Real Story of their business.”