Telling Stories
Recently, I attended a presentation for work where I learned
about a new eLearning development tool called Articulate Storyline. The
presentation made me think about how telling stories is something we are raised
with from infancy in the “verbal news of the day.” And, if we are very lucky, our parents read
to us. We hear tales of great
adventures, mystery, or fantasy and our imagination opens up. We think of
possibilities and explore outcomes. We learn.
As we get older,
stories remain part of our lives. I
remember loving to sit in a quiet corner when my parents had their friends over
to play bridge. I loved listening to the
pattern of conversation, as they shared stories about their friends, their
work, their families, and about people I’d never heard of. It was through those
stories that I learned some things about the world – how it worked, what was
valued and what wasn’t, and how people behaved and communicated.
As I watched the story of this software tool unfold, I found myself thinking about how I tell
stories. My tool isn’t this one, and my stories don’t necessarily serve the
same purpose or convey the same messages. But my stories do preserve memories
and capture moments. My stories are told with photographs, words, and
observations. They capture what is
important about my life and the life of my family. And they are rich in context, telling the story of how our lives work, what
we value and how we communicate.
Ultimately, my
stories will become the stories of my children. They will cement their
memories, illustrate our values, and become part of the tapestry of their
lives. For this I am grateful and for this reason I will continue to tell
stories in my way, in my time, and with my tools.
