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Re: knowledge transferrence by writing - another!


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Posted by Boris on August 04, 1999 at 06:48:58:

In Reply to: Re: knowledge transferrence by writing posted by Boris on August 02, 1999 at 07:33:26:

And another example today:

The power of storytelling - Not too long ago I went to see IBM's David Snowden in conference where he put forward very well, an issue I'd seen appear in the Harvard Business Review not too long before - that Stories are a very powerful way of conveying experience AND knowledge.

There seem to be many teachers and parents amongst you out there - consider how you teach your kids verbally. Do you simply read out textbooks or do you relate a tale from your past (probably slightly embelished to be more relevant to the lesson at thand)?

The story of course! I know when I was back in my student days, tutors who simply read the textbook would put me to sleep straightaway!

So consider this: There is such a thing as a 'teaching story'. These are tales which combine factual information (or a moral, or knowledge), with fictional exagerration (because it makes it both more fun to read and sometimes more relevant to the case at hand), with a narrative of your expereience. These tales are far more than just information, for the message hidden within them contains everything necessary for absorption into knowledge.

For e.g.

Information:

A knife can cut your hand

At this point Richard Hansen would busy himself stabbing his hand! (No offense meant Richard!))

Explicit Knowledge:

I once knew this kid, a really nice guy - had everything going for him. Tim, his name was. He lived out on East 55th Street in New York City, and had one of those great loft apartments that everyone wants? In any case, here was Tim - had a hot date for that night - a good looking girl from work called Tina - and Tim decides that he's goign to impress her with his juggling skills (yes, I know it's weak, but I'm not exactly a professional author!). So Tim sets about playing with his juggling balls, but Tina's not impressed. Thinking he'd go a little further - he thought he'd juggle knives. No sooner than he threw the first knife up in the air, than it came down tip first and speared him through his hand. There was blood EVERYWHERE! Tina - needless to say - especially as she had on this gorgeous little white number on - was not impressed. Tim had to go to hospital in extreme agony as the knife was still stuck in his hand and finally got it surgically removed, and his hand stitched back up together. However, the only thing he ever saw of Tina again was her bill for the dry-cleaning of her dress!

---the end----

OK - not the best of stories - I'll admit. But how many of you (not counting Richard) would still go and try to juggle knives to impress your date. I bet you also know which end of the knife is the one to avoid!

QED - knowledge transferred (or 'replicated' as Kees would say)

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