Not every story starts at the beginning
At some point mid-2025 I had a bout of bravery and applied to give a workshop for Research Culture Week at Lancaster University. The workshop I proposed was based on some of my ideas and resources I was creating for my consultancy at the time and was named ‘Stories that Connect: Building Bridges Between Research and Community’. I thoroughly enjoyed facilitating it, and received some good feedback. I was very proud and intended to follow-up on the success.
Then life got in the way.
A couple of months ago I was contacted by a good friend and colleague who mentioned that we should co-facilitate a workshop – I was all on board with this, Dee is excellent and I knew I could learn a lot from working with her. So last week we got together and hashed out a new version of my old workshop – now named ‘Research Stories That Connect’ (for now anyway).
I’ve always found that – with the right people – my ideas flow and expand when in discussion, and this was no exception. Dee brought some of her own resources and expertise and it was amaze, amaze, amaze.
One thread which expanded into a weaving was the absolute necessity that we encourage (insist) on participants not only telling but also listening. That the skill of listening is as, if not more so, important. And that weaving expanded into the whole cloth of listening to question and understand the outcome point-of-view.
Normally, if you ask a researcher what their story is, you will get a response of I research x, to understand y, and help z. Which is great in many circumstances, but can beg the listener’s question of “so what?”. In our planned workshop we are asking the participants to turn that on its head, to work backwards from the beneficiary, from the outcome, and understand the steps to get there. And to use reflective and imaginative language. And to tell a story that ensures Z happens.
I know how eager I can be to tell a story. My research is showing me the benefits of listening too.
summer
An example pulled from motes of cotton lint floating in the air … A researcher looking at storytelling techniques to effect equitable engagement and trust so they can work with organisations and do good things in their communities, could retell in various ways.
Here’s what that could sound like from an outcome point of view.
The impact of our community project succeeding has been phenomenal, the garden is flourishing and so many different people are coming together and creating a true community feeling. It was amazing to co-create this project with partners we could relate to and trust, who we felt to be equal partners not the lofty researchers which is how we often feel. Our organisation felt they truly listened to us and the sharing of our stories helped with understanding each other’s values and constraints without any feeling of being ‘less than’ or judged. Those initial storytelling workshops, focused as they were on not only the telling but the listening, gave us connection and a map that could guide us to where we wanted to be.
Perhaps not all stories need to start at the very beginning.
summer
I know from my own experience how eager I can be to tell a story, but my research is showing me the benefits of listening too. Active listening, not simply for show.
Co-developing this workshop gave me the idea that perhaps not all stories need to “.. start at the very beginning, a very good place to start”. Perhaps threading it from a different angle can enable a better weaving of connection, trust, and understanding – which leads to a much improved outcome.
What story are you telling? And how could you tell it differently?
With kindness and coffee, Sharon
