Tell the Story

There are three things that should go hand in hand for a well rounded staff member. Or rather to say, three titles, or roles, that describe them. These are: Leader, Mentor, and Teacher. Each one rolls seamlessly into the other while maintaining a distinct difference. Leaders are often mentors. Teachers are a de facto leader of their class. Mentors are involved with teaching something in some way.

In the higher levels of Pathfinder Education, instructors are faced with the challenge of teaching abstract ideas in a way that can be remembered. I have sat though many a class where the instructor might as have been reading from the dictionary. There was a lot of information and concept, but very little learning. We must be constantly vigilant against falling into these easy traps (I have done it).

Here is a key: Stories. Even better if they are your own. Use them as parables. Ever wonder why Jesus used the technique to teach somewhat abstract concepts that are hard to explain without examples? It's because stories give gravity to the concepts they convey. Stories create more than just an audio presentation. They become real and physical. Confucius said: "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember, Let me do and I understand." Maybe we cannot always get to that point of understanding..... that comes with experience. But we can always at least get to the showing part. Stories do not simply tell something; they show it too. Listeners will form the mental picture, recreate the emotions, feel the sensations and will remember.

Here is the trick: Making a story effectively convey all those elements to make a story come to life in another person's mind. How do you do that? I can't tell you. Each of us is unique in our experience. Read a few good books, listen to a few good storytellers (audio books are great for this). Pick out the devices that make you want to keep listening, learn them, and apply them to your stories.

We all remember that person who could sit with your pathfinder club around a campfire and, somehow mystically, enthrall everyone with story after story about wild adventures, comedic happenings, or heavy moments. Want to be like them? There's nothing stopping you.