Toying with emotion
The other day my friend told me she cried during Toy Story 3.
I haven’t seen it myself, so I don’t know the nuances of the plot. But I do know it’s a cartoon!
It amazes me how a story – though fictional and visually artificial – can affect human emotion.
It’s no wonder then that a real story can impact us even more deeply.
For me, this is a timely reminder of the power of storytelling and the oft-untapped opportunity to weave an anecdote into our content.
If that anecdote has the customer as the protagonist, it’s authentic.
It tells the “why”, which may be the learner’s missing link to higher performance.
Tags: e-learning, instructional design, motivation, storytelling, Toy Story 3
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27 January 2011 at 15:14
Hi Ryan- so true. Kindergarten teachers value the power of storytelling in the process of learning- I remember clearly being in front of 5 year olds and seeing the “light bulb” appear over their heads after a story about Mr Achimedes getting in and out of his bath.
BTW- I cried in TS3 as well. (And Despicable Me for that matter)
Cheers
Craig
28 January 2011 at 12:30
Thanks Craig.
I sincerely believe the corporate sector can learn a lot from kindergarden!
17 February 2011 at 6:01
Ahhhh, so true. My Storyboards for e-Learning courses always tell a story that the learner can relate to on a personal level; from a character that matches their gender, job role, educational level, and more.
Love your blog by the way. You hit home on some many points for me about learning and the learner.
17 February 2011 at 11:06
Thanks Cheryl, I really appreciate it.