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!

Think of our life story as a book that we “write on the fly.” Every morning we get up and rattle off a few pages … maybe even a chapter some days. Then there are days when we feel tired or we struggle to make decisions about what to write because there are just too many options, or maybe we lack confidence to write “bigger”stories. Some days we write pages of our book in the way that other people think we should. We match the expectations of others. Too often we write pages with activities and events that match our own lowest expectations of ourselves. We are too afraid to dream and then to live into our dreams.

I was contemplating how we can “write” our life story today and tomorrow in a way that reflects our true nature, capabilities, and dreams. Then I began to think… wouldn’t it be interesting to think of our life story as a partially completed book that has gone missing from the library shelf. Or maybe you lent it to a friend and they dropped in the bath and tossed it. It’s a work in progress but the history–the history that we think the world judges us by… baggage that holds us back–is gone. All that remains is the movie version that we live one day at a time. The world sees only the day-to-day action without having expectations based on say … chapter two or five.

We know our experiences, history, dreams, and hopes. We know the events that made us strong and knowledgeable. We know the challenges that we survived and that have made us resilient. We don’t need to replay the unrealistic expectations from people in chapter one. They don’t have to play a leading role in chapter eight–or in today’s movie. Depending on the situation, this analogy has its limitations of course. Many of the experiences in our life story feel as though they are indelibly etched in our spirit. I think that the benefit of thinking about our lives in these terms is the reminder that we DO have choices, much of life is not written in stone. By drawing on parts of our story, we can reinforce our strength, courage, and commitment in order to create a “future story” that reflects who we are.

In my opinion, the benefit of the life story/movie analogy is recognizing the positives from our previous experience, combining them with the the important people and experiences of today, and recognizing our ability to shape our future. Our story gives us power.

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.

Censorship you say? I’m not sure … maybe just common sense in the world we live in today. Many people, including some recruiters, believe that checking social networking sites to research applicants is unethical. But there are no hard and fast rules and if you’re using language or sharing information that might jeopardize the job of your dreams, you might want to think twice.

But don’t discount the value on sharing carefully considered and appropriate views and expertise online. Personal websites and blogs that profile your strengths, training, and experience are a great idea. In a world where “personal branding” is hot, think about exactly what you want to become known for and write about it.

If you’re self-employed (or want to be one day), caution and planning in building your online presence holds true for you as well. Potential clients and/or business partners may be just as vigilant as potential employers in conducting their research before accepting your word.