EDUCATE THROUGH THE ART OF STORYTELLING

It wasn’t until I had children that I really understood the value of storytelling. Subconsciously we all recognize when a story is trying to teach a lesson or impart some moral wisdom. But in the corporate world, the art of storytelling gets lost in mundane training with graphs, charts, and test questions. While these standards have their place, I find it’s not the best way to get people to remember what you’re actually trying to say. Take this story for example about hard work, perseverance, and building trust for example. Most of you have heard of Nelson Mandela, the man many credit to ending Apartheid in South Africa. Mandela spent 27 years in prison but eventually became the first black President of South Africa, bringing the African National Congress to power. During his incarceration he tried to communicate to his fellow inmates, who considered themselves political prisoners, to stay focused, keep educating themselves, and remain positive that one day they would be released and make South Africa a better place. They were sentenced to hard labor in the rock quarries with long days and little food. One can imagine that in these conditions it would be difficult to keep any degree of optimism and hope for the future. In order to lead people, one must walk their talk and lead by example. So in the back-breaking days of hard labor, Mandela carved out a section in the rock quarry where he was working and shaped a makeshift desk. A place where he could study and read about the progress the ANC was making and to stay connected so that upon his release, he could continue the fight for freedom for all black South Africans. The men noticed that Mandela was working double duty, both hard labor and on himself. He would not give up on his quest to transform South Africa, but more importantly, he was not giving up on them. So what’s the moral of this story? To build trust you must go through something together.