Any one person’s story can change the way we think — and in changing the way enough people think, we can change the world...... together. Who are the changemakers in your community, and what are their stories? We are 100% sure their successes were not accomplished in isolation. How then, can the hidden gems of collaborative action be revealed? The answer: With effective storytelling!
Let's take a look at a variation of problem-solving in a format that is visual and inspires action - with a matrix commonly used in storytelling:
- What is the problem, challenge or negative situation that exists?
- What will fix the problem?
- Who needs to be involved?
- What will the impact be?
Persuasively state the challenge in terms of negative impact (qualitatively — how bad is it), and significance (quantitatively — how big is it), as well as describe what are the causes and the implications. It is also important to get across the idea of "inherency"- when a challenge is inherent, as most societal challenges are, minor solutions won’t do. There are three types of inherency:
* Structural inherency — there’s a formal block (for example, a law)
* Attitudinal inherency — there’s an informal block (for example, group think)
* Gap inherency — existing ideas and solutions do not go far enough.
Next, consider what is the solution to a problem or how is a challenge to be addressed: is the plan solvent? is it workable? If a solution that would solve the problem is proposed - but is perceived to be unworkable - dissenting voices will start to be heard..... questioning whether the solution is realistic. Next on the check list: consequences describe the better resulting world, situation, product or service available to the community.
