The Hour and the Story: Metaphorical Interventions in Changework

1. The Hour and the Story: Metaphorical Interventions in Changework Bill O’Hanlon

2. Hour and The StoryNICABM 2009 • For a free copy of these PowerPoint slides, visit • www.billohanlon.com • Press FREE STUFF • Then Press SLIDES Invisible Fence

3. Bran Ferren • Most people function in a storytelling mode. It’s the way we communicate ideas, richly, as well as how we structure our thoughts. . . . I don’t know anyone who remembers things based upon a string of facts. You remember because you assemble things in a storytelling form. I would argue that genetically our brains are wired for storytelling. • It’s our method of organizing information for presentation to others. I have never known a great teacher, a great political leader or a great military leader who also wasn’t a great storyteller. Education is a storytelling problem. Leadership is a storytelling problem. –Bran Ferren in 12. 1998 of CIO Web Business Magazine

4. George Miller • Somewhere in our neuro-physiology, we’ve been hard-wired for story. There is a kind of narrative imperative—we can’t be without stories and we will find them where we can. • –George Miller, director of Mad Max movies

5. That Reminds Me of a Story • Homo Narrans • Exercise: Freeing the metaphorical mind

6. Freeing the Metaphorical Mind • Problems are like . . . • Therapy is like . . . • Life is like . . .

7. Types of Metaphors • Fables/parables • True stories • Metaphorical clusters/frames • Life stories and narratives • Therapeutic and teaching stories • Rituals and symbols

8. Elements of Stories • Characters • Action • Beginnings, middles and ends • Settings and props • Suspense/engagement of interest • Vague enough to allow for identification • Enough specific details (names, places, actions, sensory details, etc.) • Details about people, places or action • Dialogue • Repetition of verbal elements

9. Great storytellers 1 Orange Cheeks Jay O’Callahan

10. Elements of Stories • Characters • Action • Beginnings, middles and ends • Settings and props • Suspense/engagement of interest • Vague enough to allow for identification • Enough specific details (names, places, actions, sensory details, etc.) • Details about people, places or action • Dialogue • Repetition of verbal elements

11. Great storytellers 2 Flowers and Freckle Cream Elizabeth Ellis

12. Elements of Stories • Characters • Action • Beginnings, middles and ends • Settings and props • Suspense/engagement of interest • Vague enough to allow for identification • Enough specific details (names, places, actions, sensory details, etc.) • Details about people, places or action • Dialogue • Repetition of verbal elements

13. Live Storytelling • Different voices and postures for different characters • Outline expressions • Voice volume • Voice speed • Gaze/direction of gaze • Body movements/positions

14. Gathering and remembering stories I gather them by noticing what captures my attention and what I recall from experiences, reading, watching movies or TV, or talking to people I categorize them into “file folders” by theme I retrieve them by association

15. When to tell stories When you want to entertain, capture people’s attention and gently sway them to a new point of view When logical, rational or persuasive approaches aren’t or don’t work

16. Maya Angelou Change the viewing

17. Resources http://www.storytellingcenter.com/ http://www.storyteller.net/ http://www.audible.com http://www.augusthouse.com/ http://www.talltalesaudio.com/ http://www.storycenter.org/

18. Bill O’Hanlon, M.S., LMFT Possibilities 223 N. Guadalupe #278 Santa Fe, NM 87501 USA PossiBill@aol.com 505.983.2843 Fax 505.983.2761 www.billohanlon.com www.getyourbookwritten.com www.paidpublicspeaker.com www.thewebwhisperers.com Contact information