About Storytelling

Thursday, January 1, 2009

What is Storytelling? The National Storytelling Network writes...

Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination.

... and the Society for Storytelling says:

Storytelling is the oldest oral art. Many, many years ago, when the only form of communication was by word of mouth, stories were the sole means of education and spreading news. They taught who we were, where we came from, how we should treat each other.

What makes good Storytelling (from The Elements of Good Storytelling, by Kimberly Appelcline)?

  • Setting – Where is this story happening?

  • Character – Who’s the story about?

  • Plot – What’s happening?

  • Backstory – What happened before, to create and inform this situation?

  • Detail – Which specific things should your audience notice?


Storytelling has been at the heart of our communications since the beginning of te human race. Through stories, our values and principles have been passed from one generatio to another (taken from The Springboard. How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations, by Stephen Denning).

There are six types of stories that will serve you well in your efforts to influence others (taken from The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence and Persuasion Through the Art of Storytelling, by Annette Simmons- also found online, at the International Storytelling Center).

  1. "Who I Am" Stories

  2. "Why I Am Here" Stories

  3. "The Vision" Story

  4. "Teaching" Stories

  5. "Values-in-Action" Stories

  6. "I Know What You Are Thinking" Stories

About This Blog

This blog is a companion to the UX Storytellers project. You will find everything that's currently going on, what has happened so far and what is planned for the future.

Learn through storytelling

The best way to learn is through listening to stories. The best way to teach is through telling stories. Are you a UX Expert with stories to tell? We would love to hear your story.

Famous Quotes

The universe is made of stories, not atoms.
Muriel Rukeyser

There have been great societies that did not use the wheel, but there have been no societies that did not tell stories. Ursula K. LeGuin