Talking About Stories

It was great to watch Cynthia Kurtz talk with Lex Hoogduin at GloComNet about stories, complexity, and Participatory Narrative Inquiry (PNI).

It’s been a while since I’ve been involved in a narrative project, but Cynthia echos my own experience working with stories. Asking people about their personal experiences, as opposed to their opinions, makes a huge difference to the outcome.

Also of interest: Harold van Garderen’s interview, which goes into some detail about the utility of PNI.

Interestingly, both Cynthia and Harold mention courage. Yes, it takes a lot of courage to open up and ask people about their experiences. But, as Thomas Jefferson said, “with great risk comes great reward.” Doing so helps people develop a sense of confidence, and it inspires action.