All about Stories

Data >> Information / Exformation >>Story >> Knowledge Data satisfies the rational mind Stories capture emotions and feelingsWe know how to use use a blend of data and story to create compelling reporting You need to ask some important questions of your staff, stakeholders and customers. Quickly. But you KNOW that they’ll probably only tell you what you want to hear. If they even bother to…

That year, the rains were the strongest ever and the river had broken its banks. There were floods everywhere and the animals all ran up into the hills. The floods came so fast that many drowned except the lucky monkeys who were used to swinging high up in the treetops. They looked down on the surface of the water where the fish were swimming and jumping…

BY CHRIS THEMBISILE HANI 1942 – 1993 “I was born in a small rural town in the Transkei called Cofimvaba. This town is almost 200 kilometres from East London. I am the fifth child in a family of six. Only three of us are still surviving, the other three died in their infancy. My mother is completely illiterate and my father semi-literate. My father was a…

*a “Skroplap” is Afrikaans slang for the dirtiest dishcloth of them all, the one that is used to clean the messiest mess. I first noticed “Skroplap” as he strolled easily into the MDs office in the middle of our meeting. Skroplap took the contents of the MDs “Out” tray and left as unobtrusively as he had arrived. The conversation didn’t skip a beat and neither was the…

Stress is something that is unique to each one of us – it is internally generated. Stress is also something that accompanies conflict. If you feel stressed and worry about how you will manage to continue feeling stressed, try practising the following clinically proven methods: Worry about Things You Can’t Control – Watch the MSM news channels – especially CNN – and worry about ebola, the…

Conflict manifests in many ways in an organization. At times it rises to the surface in the form of defensiveness, disagreements or uncooperative behaviour. Most of the time, however, it remains hidden and is evident from symptoms such as poor morale, high staff turnover and absenteeism, lack of enthusiasm, alternative forms of organisational communication embodied in “the grapevine” and frequent confrontations. This facilitated presentation addresses important…

>Regardless of who you vote for, it is interesting to look at the ANC-generated Freedom Charter, adopted in 1955. It is a beautifully crafted vision which contains a story of a desired future that one can see. (Employing words skilfully to construct a mental picture that others can ‘see’ is a key element of a story.) You can read it on http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=72 Most white people living…

Corporates often use rousing terms such as ‘best practice’ and ‘world class’ to describe themselves. However, the sad reality is that designed incompetence is profitable. Competence suggests responding professionally to queries and reaching solutions quickly and efficiently. Designed Incompetence, on the other hand deliberately places barriers in the way of customers which ironically results in fewer complaints, greater profitability and less time wasted engaging with the…

Brand Managers and Marketing Teams are expected to tell the story of the business and its brands to create and build customer interest, awareness, sales and  long-term brand recognition. Marketing departments often need to liaise with advertising agencies and providers of sales data – this requires  teams and brand managers to brief agencies and creatively work with market feedback data to create stories and images that…

The french philosopher, Michel Foucault, once  suggested that prisons exist in the world because it helps us imagine that the prison is “out there” and that we aren’t already living in one ourselves. The same idea applies to games – there are many games out there that serve to remind us that we don’t live in a game reality whereas, in fact, we do.  Many of…

Stories, whether they emerge from external inputs or are generated internally through thought processes, play a significant role in shaping our experiences and biological responses. This process begins in the nervous system, which is intricately connected to both the endocrine and immune systems. Understanding these connections offers a deeper insight into how our thoughts and perceptions influence our physical health. The Nervous System and Storytelling The…

Reis na ’n land ver, ver van hier . . . Eendag lank, lank gelede was daar ‘n storie wat om die kampvuur vertel is. Soveel mense het die storie oorvertel dat dit sterk geword en ontsnap het. Vandag word dit in raadsale en kantore, teaters en huise vertel. Marzanne van den Berg het gaan luister. ‘Het jy gehoor?” Vra dít en skielik het jy almal…

The first key: Knowing what you want Successful people know what they want. They know who they want to be and where they want to go. In other words, they have a very clear picture of what success means to them.  Do you know what you want? This is the first step to power and to success. If you do not know what you want you…

Stories of overcoming adversity are always powerful and inspiring. Here are some ideas for stories that focus on the theme of “victory of desperation”: Someone who has lost everything finds a way to rebuild their life and achieve success. A group of people who are facing impossible odds come together to achieve a common goal. Someone who is struggling with a physical or mental disability finds…

Billions of neurones are constantly making and pruning connections with other neurones in your brain. Acts of thinking and perception can be detected at the neuronal level as a complex movement electro-chemical signals. So it’ll come as no surprise that stories have a significant impact of the neurochemistry of our brain/mind/body complex. DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Project Agency) has been studying how stories impact people and elicit…

“It takes a very long time to become young.” (Pablo Picasso)  Did you have difficulty making friends as a child? Experience scholastic boredom and more than the normal helping of social problems? A little unconventional and nonconformist even at primary school? Eccentric parents? A study of gifted creatives by Psychologist Ellen Winner cited these early life experiences as stimulating creativity because of the introversion that springs…

Once there was and once there was not, a small, dusty African village where a trader man dressed in  a smart business suit arrived on a mighty ship. The trader man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the jungle, and started catching them. The trader man bought thousands…

Traditionally a strategic plan is a document-based creation of leadership, exco and senior management that is “brought down from the mountain” to be implemented throughout the organisation, mainly by people who haven’t been consulted or engaged in the process. This ‘trickle-down’ approach often becomes a source of conflict and frustration because the only power held by the uninvolved and the unengaged is to make implementation difficult,…

This dilemma tale is used for audiences who are asked what the hero of the story should do – if you don’t have an audience, think about what you would do if you were Umbogo. ONCE THERE WAS AND ONCE THERE WAS NOT, in a small dusty village in the deepest and darkest part of Africa lived a hunter named Umbogo. Every day, Umbogo would walk…

The way the story starts has a lot to do with tradition and culture and a whole lot to do with holding attention of the reader and the listener. Here are some samples: Once upon a time……this is the favourite opening line of the western storytelling traditon In the long time past, our Story Tellers tell us that…..from native American tradition Once there was, and once…

When I was initiated for the first time in 1937 into the mysteries and knowledge of Mother Africa I was ordered by my teacher who was my aunt. She said I should go outside and fill a small clay pot with water. And then she said to me, “Look into the water – what do you see?” I was caught in a trap because an initiate…

A number of thinkers from widely differing fields have studied and commented on myths and legends. Here is a sampling of their observations: A myth is a sacred story from the past. It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its culture’s moral values. Myths concern the powers that control the human world and the relationship between those powers…

The Truth and the Lie meet  on the road one day. The Lie says to the Truth: “It’s a marvelous day today!” The Truth looks up to the skies and sighs, for the day was truly beautiful. They walk together for a while, until they reach a beautiful well. The Lie tells the Truth: “The water in the well is very nice, let’s take a swim…

Who-are-you? is a narrative based lifeskills workshop designed for youth in Africa and the developing world ‘If you want to get ahead in life, you need self-esteem, confidence and good communication skills. Think for yourself, be creative. Build good relationships. Be the best you can be. Dream big dreams. Become leaders and entrepreneurs. The future is in your hands……’But How? School leavers routinely hear this kind…

Rituals and events are both important in both change management and KM work and practitioners need to have a clear understanding of the importance of such activities. Rituals and events present an opportunity to reinforce certain value systems, stories and ideas. They can be used to reflect on the past, celebrate a moment in time and also create focus for the future. Typical organisational rituals may…

Early one morning a wispy cloud bumped into a story…..

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Typically in organisations, people converse around certain topics and experiences. And in day to day interactions they observe things that happen; what people say and what people actually end up doing. Dissonance and paradox emerge when what people say doesn’t align with what they do. Cliques forms, stories are shared, grapevines are energised and subcultures are formed. The result may be that informal communication networks have…

The Hero’s Journey is a common narrative pattern and template where the protagonist embarks on an adventure, faces challenges and temptations, achieves victory, and returns home transformed. This journey often begins in the ordinary world, where the hero receives a call to adventure. They may initially refuse this call, but eventually cross the threshold into an unknown world. Here, they face tests, encounter allies and enemies,…

If you’re considering creating a podcast or video channel, here are some ideas to explore to begin with. 1. what will you call your it?2. who is it for?3. what subject material will you cover?4. what is the mission of your podcast / vlog? Branding Do you have a logo? Colours related to your brand Do you have a intro (a music/sound clip that is always…

Leadership, who should be able to take an objective view of everything that is happening in an organisation, usually become increasingly removed from the inner story circles. And often when they hear the stories, they will have been sanitised and edited because thats what everyone wants leadership to know. By their absence from the day-to-day story-sharing opportunities, they may lose touch with the nuances of happiness,…