FRAMEWORK
FOR
STORY
‐
BASED
CONSULTING
(change
management,
learning,
communication,
employee
engagement,
strategy,
corporate
values)
by
Terrence
L.
Gargiulo
President,
MAKINGSTORIES.net
This
paper
provides
a
detailed
analysis
of
nine
functions
of
stories
and
their
unique
effects.
Originally
derived
in
1992
this
framework
guides
all
of
MAKINGSTORIES.net’s
consulting
work.
This
paper
is
shared
in
response
to
people’s
request
to
understand
how
I
craft
interventions.
It
is
not
intended
to
be
a
“How
to,”
piece.
Links
to
complimentary
and
fee
based
resources/guides/tools
are
offered
at
the
end
of
this
paper.
Stories
are
fundamental
to
the
way
we
communicate,
learn
and
think.
Stories
are
the
most
efficient
way
of
storing,
retrieving,
and
conveying
information.
Since
story
hearing
requires
active
participation
on
the
part
of
the
listener,
stories
are
the
most
profoundly
social
form
of
human
interaction
communication,
and
learning.
Telling
stories
for
any
organizational
purpose
only
scratches
the
surface.
We
are
interested
in
using
stories
as
powerful
vehicles
for
eliciting
each
others’
experiences
and
knowledge,
listening
to
each
other
and
ourselves
in
deeper
ways,
and
providing
our
imaginations
with
a
canvas
for
reflection
and
learning.
Stories
surround
us.
Everywhere
we
turn
there
is
a
story
vying
for
our
attention.
It’s
not
just
newspapers
or
television
programs
either.
Do
you
ever
find
yourself
in
the
uncomfortable
position
of
having
nothing
to
say
in
the
midst
of
a
conversation,
but
suddenly
the
memory
of
a
past
experience
you
can
share
rushes
in
to
fill
an
otherwise
awkward
void?
Or
when
you
are
listening
to
someone
else,
do
you
notice
any
change
in
the
quality
of
your
attention
and
level
of
interest
when
they
begin
to
vividly
recount
a
past
experience
and
cease
speaking
in
abstractions?
The
most
meaningful
conversations
are
full
of
memorable
stories.
Page | 2
There
are
many
labels
you
might
choose
for
this
unique
form
of
communication.
Take
a
moment
and
jot
down
any
words
or
descriptions
that
come
to
mind:
Here
are
some
potential
candidates:
Anecdote
Conversation
Experience
“Once
upon
a
time…”
Memory
Tale
Recollection
Image
Myth
Parable
Metaphor
Fib
Analogy
Illustration
Cliché
Allegory
Word
Picture
Narrative
Joke
Snapshot
Picture
Let’s
gather
all
such
ways
of
conversing
under
the
umbrella
of
“story
telling.”
That
way
we
can
draw
upon
the
rich
and
varied
understanding
you
already
likely
have,
at
some
level,
about
what
constitutes
a
story.
The
functions
of
stories
and
their
unique
effects
offer
us
insights
into
the
nature
and
dynamics
of
communication
and
learning.
There
is
no
reason
for
us
to
restrict
what
we
accept
as
stories
or
to
try
and
reduce
them
down
to
a
single
definition.
Unlike
many
trend
setting
management
theorists,
I
am
not
trying
to
manufacture
something
new.
I
am
acting
as
an
observer
of
and
as
a
guide
to
a
communication
paradigm
that
is
already
so
much
a
part
of
how
we
communicate
and
learn
that
we
have
lost
sight
of
it.
I
am
seeking
to
invigorate
an
innate
capacity
and
promote
its
conscious
usage
and
cultivation
in
business
and
in
all
that
we
do.
Page | 3
While
we
should
be
wary
of
too
narrowly
defining
stories
and
story
telling,
it
is
useful
to
set
forth
a
framework
for
our
inquiries
and
some
ground
rules
we
will
follow.
Stories
are
used
to:
Stories
have
the
following
effects:
1.
Empower
a
speaker
2.
Create
an
environment
3.
Bind
and
bond
individuals
Entertain
Create
trust
and
openness
between
yourself
and
others
Elicit
stories
from
others
4.
Engage
our
minds
in
active
listening
5.
Negotiate
differences
Listen
actively
in
order
to:
Understand
context
and
perspective
Identify
the
root
cause
of
a
problem
Uncover
resistance
and
hidden
agendas
Shift
perspectives
in
order
to:
See
each
other
Experience
empathy
Enter
new
frames
of
reference
Hold
diverse
points
of
view
Become
aware
of
operating
biases
and
values
6.
Encode
information
7.
Act
as
tools
for
thinking
8.
Serve
as
weapons
9.
Serve
as
healing
agents
Create
a
working
metaphor
to
illuminate
an
opinion,
rationale,
vision,
or
decision.
Establish
connections
between
different
ideas
and
concepts
to
support
an
opinion
or
decision
Think
outside
the
box
to
generate
creative
solutions
and
breakthroughs.
In
1992,
Professor
Luis
Ygelsisas
and
Terrence
Gargiulo
did
an
in
depth
analysis
of
a
story
titled.
The
Man
Without
a
Story.
These
functions
and
effects
come
from
that
work.
Send
me
an
email
and
I’ll
share
a
copy
of
the
story
–
terrence@makingstories.net .
Search History:
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Framework for Story-Based Consulting
This paper provides a detailed analysis of nine functions of stories and their unique effects. Originally derived in 1992 this framework guides all of MAKINGSTORIES.net’s consulting work. This paper is shared in response to people’s request…
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