A shared story should be inclusive
This is selection #6 of a series of?Biology of Story?interview clips curated by?Paulo de Tarso F. Silva, Story Mediator and co-founder of?Metaphora International:
An individual story is unique and yet not isolated. The story of a community member is a very important part of a larger shared story. The story of the community itself, on the other hand, is formed by a cluster of narratives that are shared by multiple sources. At Metaphora International , every time we mediate stories in a group, we notice that louder voices also speak more often. At the same time, we also can sense the need for balance coming from the individuals whose stories are usually kept untold. Holding space for those stories to finally be shared is the beginning of a sustainable collaboration.??
When Collaborative Storytelling is at play with a “craft mindset,” story mediation also becomes a shared responsibility. There is an individual and collective intention to welcome “unknown narratives,” even if those narratives are about a common activity. If a group learns how to mediate their own stories, they start building a skill that filters and captures common themes and recurring patterns from several individual stories. That is a living and organic skill that allows individuals to feel seen and build the desire to contribute to the story of their community.
Overall, if there is respect toward differences and an attitude of inclusion of all, any community is able to find a shared story that unites them. The privilege of belonging to an environment where individuals are allowed to share their perspectives about a shared story also signals the future of that community, workplace or social system is a sustainable one.?
In this Biology of Story clip, the clinical psychologist Dr. Kevin Becker talks about individual stories and how important it is for them to be acknowledged and validated without judgement.?The link to this clip in the Biology of Story i-documentary can be found?here?and it is better experienced from a computer. Alternatively, you can watch the clip on Youtube from?this link.
Story Mediator and Co-Founder of?Metaphora International
March 2023
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The?Biology of Story?interactive documentary is based on the work of?Amnon Buchbinder,?Geneviève Appleton,?Resounding Media Inc.?. It includes interviews of a vast community of?storytelling practitioners from several backgrounds including screenwriting, novel writing, television writing, oral storytelling, psychology, education, the sciences, video game design, aboriginal teachers and educators.
About the author:
Paulo de Tarso Fonseca Silva?is an educator, Story Mediator and consultant with?Metaphora International?. He is also the co-host of the?Collaborative Storytelling Café podcast.?He initiated the Collaborative Story Craft method and with his partner?Tricia Cleland Silva, PhD, he has researched and developed educational tools for enabling people to craft stories that speak to oneself and others in educational settings, community projects and organisations. In 2022 they co-authored the book:?Making Sense of Work Through Collaborative Storytelling - Building Narratives in Organisational Change.?The book was published by?Palgrave Macmillan?and it can be accessed?online for free?thanks to the support of the?Academy of Finland.?