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We use narrative research techniques with staff and customers to determine the ‘health’ of an organisation; we also identify, gather and craft ‘Success Stories’  from your customers and staff to be used for internal and external marketing purposes - to enhance your website or intranet, for press releases, in sales and marketing presentations, newsletters, team meetings etc. Our consultancy services include the following:

Success Journey© metaphors
We help clarify the future of a team or organisation by using the seven stages of the Success Journey© model, including establishing the destination, identifying resources needed, and identifying the ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’. This gives your team or organisation a clear, step-by-step strategic planning tool.

Learning histories
One way of capturing the experiences of busy people in organisations is in the approach known as ‘learning histories’ or jointly-told tales, developed by Art Kleiner and George Roth, which draws on the ancient practice of community storytelling and the modern practice of collective learning. The learning history is a written narrative of a company’s critical event – a new product, a merger, a corporate change – in the words of many of those involved, each with their own perspective. The narrative is written after a number of reflective interviews are carried out and is then used as the basis for ongoing discussion and action, where the comments are debated and any necessary action determined.

The learning history helps many people to see the way forward, to learn not just from each others’ experience, but also from their own and each others’ fears and concerns. In general, using storytelling in this way has a number of positive effects:

• They build trust. People who previously felt unheard or undervalued, have an opportunity to express their thoughts and share their knowledge
• People are not alone When the learning history is read and discussed, those who have felt isolated realize that there is maybe more commonality than they thought in terms of what each person – and the business – is trying to achieve
• An opportunity for collective reflection and learning The group discussions help to clear the air, to raise issues that have not been dealt with, which in turn allows a higher level of confidence in one another, and creates an environment more conducive to learning.
• An opportunity for sharing knowledge Rather than just copying the lessons others have learnt (which might not be totally appropriate in a different situation) readers of learning histories can discover more about others’ reasoning that lay behind a particular decision.

Anecdote Circles
Similar in essence to the learning histories, but conducted in a group rather than 1:1. An anecdote circle is made up of between 4-12 people with an anecdote facilitator who asks few, open-ended and thought provoking questions, including ‘Best and Worst’ scenarios. They typically run for 60-90 minutes. The purpose of the anecdote circle is to elicit customer and/or staff real life experiences and stories, rather than purely opinions; the information gleaned can be used for strategic planning, surveys or knowledge sharing.  

Want to know more?

If you would like to discuss your requirements with us, or if you would like more information on how we can help your organisation please contact us or sign up for our latest Newsletter.