Posted by angel on 30 May, 2012
As told to Angeline Koh
Thinking that he did not have many more years to live because of his failing health, ZQ’s father began to withdraw himself from the family. Each time he knew that his children and grandchildren were coming to visit, he would quickly find an excuse to go out to avoid being with them. He didn’t want any meals with them or celebrations of any sort.
In his story created for his Dad, ZQ recollected memories of his childhood and growing up years with his father. The places were simple but there was always a new place to explore, a new adventure to try with him. “Dad, there are still many more places to explore together.”
ZQ set up the computer and left it for his father to watch the digital story in the privacy of his room. When his father came out of the room, ZQ asked him, “how was it?”
“OK,” the stoic father said expressionlessly. But ZQ could see from his red eyes that the story had obviously moved him.
Following this, ZQ’s father began to spend time with the family. He looked forward to their visits and initiated meals with them. ZQ’s mother was the most blown away by the change in her husband when he even began to take an interest in the home and cleaned up the house completely.
“I’ve been married to him for all these years. He has never done anything like this before.”
Posted by angel on 25 May, 2012
A few days ago I asked by a large and well known corporation to work out a proposal for a series of digital storytelling workshops for their managers. The Organisational Development head wanted to empower these leaders to become catalyst for change and innovation within their divisions. He said that this could be achieved through storytelling.
He searched for (oral) storytelling trainers but found digital storytelling. He watched a couple of digital stories on our website and very quickly decided that the hands-on experience and process of creating a “digital” story was the way forward.
Although the bottom line for his managers was to tell corporate stories, he said, “their first story should be a personal story.”
At that moment I exclaimed, “I’m smiling because you are the first corporate head that I’ve spoken to who wants the first story to be a personal one.” He laughed and said, “that’s because I was a teacher for many years and also worked with other corporations. I understand the power of telling personal stories.”
The power of a story is not just in the art form but in the authenticity of the storyteller. Everyone of us is more than the portfolio we hold or the projects we are working on. When we can tell personal stories, we can tell any other kinds of story.
Posted by angel on 14 May, 2012
“Storytelling is a hot topic in the presentation world,” says Bruce Gabrielle a PowerPoint trainer and author. He discusses storytelling on the Microsoft website and explains why you might want to use basic storytelling techniques when you deliver your PowerPoint presentation in a corporate setting.
If storytelling is so important to the corporate world, why do we relegate it only to the world of children? We need to be using it more in the work place. Gabrielle tells the story…
In a faraway land, a boy went to learn at the feet of a wise man day after day. The wise man always instructed the boy through stories. One day, the boy asked “Master, why do you always teach through stories? Would it not be faster to teach me directly?” To this, the wise man answered “Please bring me some tea.” The boy rose and prepared a cup of tea in a white china cup. The wise man took the cup from the boy and sipped it, then asked “Why did you bring me a cup when I only asked for the tea?”
A story is like a cup; it’s the brain’s natural container for holding knowledge.
Posted by angel on 7 May, 2012
Recently, I happened to be seated with a middle aged woman and an elderly man at an Entrepreneur’s Networking gathering. I struck up a conversation with them asking if they were regulars at the gathering and what kept them coming. I found out that the woman managed her father’s business. They liked going there to listen to the inspiring talks and to see if there might be any projects and potential money-making business they could invest in.
She gave me the typical confused look when I told her that my business is helping people tell their stories. How on earth does anyone make a living on storytelling is still a wonder to me. Stories are “impractical”and “luxury” items — they don’t put food on the table. I am still chasing my impractical dream of connecting people together through stories. My social enterprise hasn’t bore dividends for me yet!
I told her a few stories of changes I saw take place in the lives of the participants and the effect it had on their loved ones and those around them. Her father quietly listened. I began asking him a few questions and the old man began to talk.
Not long later, his daughter said, “I didn’t know that about you.”
The old man replied, “There are many things you do not know about me.”
I had jump-started a conversation between father and daughter. Getting people to talk and listen to each other is something I seem to do naturally. This love for connecting people spills over into the workshops that I run. I suppose that is what got me hooked.
When I was writing ”How the Moken Sea Gypsies got their Book,” the biography of Anthropologist Daw Say Bay, I also drew her out. I helped her remember her more than 30-year journey living among the Moken Sea Gypsies. She cried reading her own story. She had never in all those years reflected or took stock on the amazing journey of her life.
Storytelling is NOT a luxury item. How empty our lives would be without stories. Our histories are already written for us to remember (or forget). The future, yet to be written, is ours to shape. We are the stories we tell ourselves.
Posted by angel on 3 May, 2012
Interview by Angeline Koh
Our team went for the workshop to assess how Digital Storytelling could be used in the classroom. Somewhere along the way, however, the project turned from an official project to one that had personal vested interest because we were assigned to create personal stories. This made the project meaningful. There was a lot of enthusiasm. I was surprised to see my team completing their projects ahead of time.
I was also surprised at how they had opened their lives to one another during Story Circle. I’ve worked with my team for some time but this workshop helped me get to know my staff better, especially the quieter ones. It’s great for team building.
Although I have a very full schedule, I deliberately signed myself up because I wanted to assess if teachers could manage DS in the classroom. I consider myself a digital immigrant while many of the younger curriculum developers under me are what I consider digital natives. I was able to do my story. And if I can do it, anyone can.
Post workshop (four months later), on creating her second digital story on her own…
The video turned out better than I initially expected. The mic was not ideal but good enough to get the project going. We screened it on big screen at a local cinema when we took our team to a movie to celebrate teachers’ day. So, imagine the impact! Well, my director loved it and my staff too.
It was fun – I did it in 2 days!!
