In my previous ezine article "The Right Attitude Required to Learn From Compelling Stories" I explored the idea of the Story-learner as an individual who learnt from stories in a more conscious manner than normally would be the case (as after all, we all learn from each other's stories on a day to day basis).
In this article we are going to take things a bit further by looking at what tools are available to the Story-learner to facilitate and indeed further accelerate the story-learning process.
There are three tools I can think of which would be useful to the Story-learner:
(a) How to ask the right questions - unlocking the story using the Story-learner's key.
(b) How to make an accurate recording of a story - recording the story using the Story-learner's notebook.
(c) How to sift out the nuggets of wisdom - discarding the dross using the Story-learners sieve.
In this article we will look in some detail at how to use the Story-learner's key.
How to ask the right questions - unlocking the story using the Story-Learner's key
In my other life I work freelance in computer software development.
Recently I was attending a leaving party being held for another computer software developer who was moving companies after working for approximately one year in the company to which I am currently subcontracted.
Here was an obviously successful and highly paid individual who was leaving what appeared to be quite a good number - leaving of his own volition without being shown the door.
As we stood in the pub with drinks in hand I asked him, "Why are you jumping off the gravy train?" His reply was interesting.
"Do you remember the story of Gideon's Army?" He asked with a smile.
"Yes of course." Not only did I remember this story from the bible but I had shared it with others.
In a nutshell the Israelites were about to go into battle but God told Gideon (their leader) that he did not want them to take credit for the victory. This might happen because the Israelites outnumbered the enemy.
God devised a test to hand pick 300 warriors who would take on the enemy while the rest would be condemned to watch from the sidelines.
Without going into detail the test was designed to weed out those who were vigilant or constantly on their guard even when not doing battle. Only the best of the best would be allowed to take on the enemy.
"So what does your leaving have to do with Gideon's army?" I asked even though I was already beginning to get an inkling of where this conversation was going.
"Well the reason I'm being paid what I'm currently being paid is because I learnt the hard way not to rest on my laurels.
"Just before I went freelancing I was abruptly made redundant after getting too comfortable in one of my previous jobs.
"It was quite bad actually but eventually I got a lucky break and was hired for a short term freelance contract just before I ran out of money. From then on I made a pledge to myself to keep my skills up to date and never stay anywhere for more than two years."
So from the conversation above we can see that asking the right question can be akin using a key to unlock the story. This is the Story-learner's key in action.
Like any other skill this will grow with practice. The idea is to ask open ended questions. Yes or no must not suffice as answers. Elaboration becomes necessary and when this elaboration begins you should reach for the Story-Learner's notebook.
Please visit my web site at www.stories-to-learn-from.com to read about some other useful tools required by the Story-learner. For example how can we use the Story-learner's notebook to make an accurate recording of a story?
Frances Ade has a passion for learning via writing and storytelling. In order to facilitate this he is constantly on the lookout for tips and techniques which writers can use to increase there productivity.
Find out more about how to learn from stories by visiting http://www.stories-to-learn-from.com
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