Joshua_4_I

The line that struck me the most out of Chapter 4 was, When you speak, words are less than 15 percent of what listeners "hear." (86)

In response to Chad's previous post. I have to agree with him. Non-verbal is so integral to storytelling that we often don't need the verbal. I too was struck by Jeff's story. Having very minimal contact with ASL it's fascinating for me to see how effective/efficient the language is and enjoyable to see Jeff's stories.

I also think the importance of non-verbal is a validation of what we are all doing here. Storytelling in a digital since is, more often than not, highly visual. Simmons feels the non-verbal, or visual, is the "meat and potatoes" of communication. This makes me feel pretty good about our chosen career paths. If nothing else, Simmons just brightened my day a little.

Chad_4_Q

In Chapter 4 we get an exhaustive outline of how nonverbal language affects persuasive storytelling.

On Tuesday in class I laughed a lot, said "aww" a time or two and felt pangs of regret or embarrassment during our storytelling session. But it's Jeff's story that sticks in my memory even now, four days later.

I remember the nasty angle at which his leg turned during the accident, and the lapses in and out of consciousness as doctors worked to fix him. Jeff used his eyes, fingertips and legs -- even his tongue -- to show us exactly where he was at all times.

I remember broad details of other people's stories, but none so clear as Jeff's, which we heard a significant portion of without sound.

It's easy to knock this book. Much of it comes across repetitive and preachy. But doesn't Simmons seem to be making all the right claims? Does anyone else remember Jeff's story as clearly as I do?

In your heart of hearts, do you believe words are some of the least significant ingredients of a good story?

Kyle_3_I

I appreciate how Simmions tries to break down these "intentional" type stories, but at the same time admits that you cannot really put every story in a nice little category box. Its a lot like personality types. Yes we all fall closer to one category or another, but as unique human beings each one of us could be our own category. This is the same for stories, in that the stories we tell are unique and their purpose is situational. I do think it helps to have some popular "most commonly used" categories, but its still important to see each situation and each story as individually unique. This forces the storyteller to avoid the temptation of reusing a story for an event that it does not fit. Stories can be altered in terms of their emphasis or focus to better fit a situation, as long as the integrity of the story stays true. Our story's integrity is directly related to our own. When trying to influence with narrative, the narrator's intercity is vital.


-Kyle Hufford

Blog 4.0 - Posting Instructions

1) ONE POST per person by Monday @ 6 PM.
2) EVERY WEEK: THREE OR MORE COMMENTS TO POSTS by class time.
3) Your post may be an idea OR a question.
4) It is not enough to simply agree with a previous post,
one must contribute new information.
5) You may add up to TWO additional posts per week.
6) TITLE each "Big Idea" post like this:
YourFirstName__CHAPTER#__I - Example: John__1_I
7) TITLE each "Big Question" post like this:
YourFirstName__CHAPTER#__Q - Example: John__1_Q
8) TOTAL NUMBER of Ideas Posts / Question Posts / Comments:
4+/person/week
9) LABEL each post w/ your REAL last name.
10) Blogger will automatically sign each post w/ your USER name.

Vince_3_Q

Bear Trap Question-

I really enjoyed reading about this idea. I know that a lot of people use it either for everyday uses or for something as important to them as politics and for religion.

My question is this.

Have you ever used one of these questions? And if so, what was the situation it was used in?

Brian_3_I

You know this chapter is killing me. I'm like that old cop drama out of LA in the late 60's -- Dragnet. In that show the lead police officer says "just the facts, ma'am' at least every other episode and it's become a bit of a cliche joke ever since. I think in the 1987 remake they purposely have Joe Friday says that exact line quite a few times as a joke...back then they were serious.

Well...I like the facts as I said in my last post. I work better with facts but that doesn't mean everyone else does. She makes a good point on page 51:

Contrary to popular belief, bad decisions are rarely made because people have all the facts. Bad decisions are made because people ignore the facts, do not understand the facts, or do not give the facts enough importance.

I think this is a pretty enlightened thing to say I suppose. From a managerial perspective, though, I'd feel a lot better at night if I knew those on my team had the fact presented in a prioritized and usable manner. I think the little story about the fireman being seen from two perspectives is neat...but dammit I can't let go of my natural tendencies.

"A story" she continues, " will help them figure out what all these facts mean."

If the information was managed properly then the individuals should be trained to leave their own emotions and experiences on the table and work specifically for that project. Maybe, in my case, I'd have to hire someone to turn my fact-speak into a story to be an effective manager.


Arg...as I'm writing this I realize how strange I must be to everyone else. How can people even talk to me?

Anyways, I had a dream last night that I was a robot and I woke up in a sweat because someone had given me a computer virus that caused everything I looked at to appear with a distorted Eleanor Roosevelt's face and it would cause my robot body to freeze and lock up. I woke up and said "eleanor" and drifted into a weird lucid dream and the whole event has made my day feel pretty funky. I have a computer virus...must...have...facts...ahh!

Enough.

Sarah_Ch3_Q

“Contrary to popular belief, bad decisions are rarely made because people don’t have all the facts. Bad decisions are made because people don’t have all the facts. Bad decisions are made because people ignore the facts, do not understand the facts, or do not give the facts enough importance. Why? Basic human emotions like anxiety, greed, expiration, intolerance, apathy, or fear have hijacked their brains and directed them to the “easy way out,” the “path of least resistance,” the “safe route,” or the “taking care of number one” opinion. More facts will not help them regain perspective. A story will. A story will help them figure out what all these facts mean.”

I really thought this was an interesting perspective… I hadn’t really thought about it… Many people often DO ignore the facts to appeal to the human interest factor of the audience. It just makes the story sound better if you leave out minor details that make it much less interesting.

Iris_chapter 3_Q

Fact 1: My book still did't arrive
Fact 2. I borrowed it (thanks John...and thanks Brian B.)
Fact 3: I quick read the chapter - and of course the Posts
Fact 4: I realize that if I just take the facts out of this chapter the chapter would be darn short
(see e.g. Sarahs post)
Fact 5: I somehow feel an overload of story and I am thirsty for "pure" facts....
Fact 6: Most of the things have already been said (bad luck of the late poster)
Fact 7: It is interesting to see how people refer the contents of the chapter to their own experience (See Chad and Boyun)
Fact 8: putting these facts together into a persuading story isn't easy -there are way too many ways to do this!

Doc Joe would say "narrow it down!" and "spare the details!", Simmons probably would want me to to go into the "shades of grey" and transform the facts. I could either try to convey my own point of view or try to meet expectations of my audience.....Whaterever....It is an old question: facts vs. story, facts => Story, Story >(facts)

Somehow I had to think of the neat "little" chart of Napoleons march...and I am still thinking that this visual is more factual than a "story". Would the Story be the explanation of the chart? or is that again to be considered as facts?

Joshua_3_1

I think the most impressive aspect of this chapter is Simmons retention of stories heard, or her incredibly creative nature. I seem to doubt that every VP or manager mentioned in the book is a tangible, physical person; so I am going to assume she is very creative. If you think about writing a novel, and Erik might correct me, but there's one story being told. Annette has told probably 100 stories, albeit short stories, in just the first three chapters of this book. She must be a story factory, or at least have a house boat on the "river of story."

Martin_3_1

Is it just me or does Simmons repeat herself a bit. I guess she is just trying her best to convince the reader, but she could stand to cut a few paragraphs out of this chapter.

Maybe it's just that I didn't need to be convinced. I feel the same way about facts. You can throw all the facts you want at somebody, but you have to be award that they are going to filter those facts through their own views of reality and may not take them in as you intended.

Look at conspiracy theorists. You can tell them all the facts in the world and they'll just find a way to fit those facts in with their beliefs. I'm particularly annoyed by the Loose Change people. They throw around all their questionable expert testimony about demolition and remote guided aircraft, yet refuse to listen to the even greater amount of expert testimony that refutes their beliefs. They aren't going to be convinced by mere facts. It would take a powerful story to convince them to turn away from their conspiracy theory, which is in itself a very powerful story. I mean, what's more powerful than the story of the United States government pulling off a fake terrorist attack on its own people, murdering thousands of innocent civilians, all for some oil profits?

Brandon_3_I

Chapter three takes a look at facts… and discredits their potential when presented as a solitary type of evidence in a situation. Stories are important with facts, and do indeed aid with credibility of facts.

However, I do not think that stories are always necessary.

Although stories do aid when presenting facts, I think the facts themselves are more important than the story.

I think “personal experience” stories hold the most importance when trying to prove a point in conjunction with facts.

The chapter expands upon the idea that facts are not as important without stories, when are there times that facts. However, I think there are many situations that call for stories being less important in a situation.

One example of this is in a typical work atmosphere with a hierarchal employee ladder. In these situations, does the boss take the time to tell stories to his employees, or does the boss simply tell them what to do by stating facts? It may be seen as inefficiency in the workplace for a boss to have to explain their orders with stories.

As presented in chapter one, employees Simmons states that employees want to trust their superiors in these situations. What would happen if workers were to question their boss’s orders every time the boss gives an order by telling the worker facts?

John B_Chapter 3_I

Alright, I get it. If anything this was some "smart" writing, but of course being the argumentative type I do feel the need to think of something against it. Here's my best shot. After reading this chapter, instead of coming to blog immediately I decided to turn on my video games and let it sink in. That's when it hit me. I understand that Simmon's believes that facts don't impact a person as much as a story will, that's all fine and dandy. But when you play a new videogame, it is just pumping out fact after fact at you. For example, when you kill a boss in a game, it will give you a fact like "congrats you killed so and so". Well then i guess you could argue back and say that it's the videogame's story that compels the player, and the facts move you along in the storyline blah blah blah.

weak

Matt_3_I

I thought the Sufi teaching story about good 'ol Nasrudin was pretty great. It reminded me of a time that I forgot about a speech I was supposed to give for COMM 210 about an hour before class. If only I could have pulled off the "Who knows of which I speak?" routine. As for the rest of the chapter, I may not agree with Simmons a great deal of the time, but I do believe that stories have much more of an impact than just throwing facts at people. For instance, you could tell someone that drinking and driving is bad and that countless people are affected by it every year. However, if they are able to hear or see a story about someone who had their life ruined by drunk driving, they are much more likely to accept the advice.

Sarah_3_I

I noticed that in chapter 3, the title says it all: Stories can do more than facts. What interested me most was that this chapter contains 33 pages of stories, but each one illustrates the same simple fact that facts are not as powerful as stories. Talk about leading by example.

Crosier_3_I

Society and storytelling are intrinsically intertwined. Basically, what is storytelling but a way of conveying a complete thought? If you look at a story as anything that has a beginning and end with some sort of change, then a story can be something as simple as "I went to the store and bought bread." At the beginning, I hadn't been to the store and I didn't have bread. At the end, I had been to the store and had purchased bread. Beginning, ending, change.

That said, talking about these 'changes' is a way of informing each other about needed information. Hence society and story are inherently and necessarily connected to each other. If we look at different types of storytelling, they can even define a society in which ethey belong.

But does society define the storytelling? Or can it be either way?

Han_3

The stories establish the fact or the fact establish the stories? I think this topic is very interesting to be think. I like reading any kinds of stories no matter it is true or fake. Some people can tell the stories or write the stories which is just like they are real even though they are not. I like one part which tells that transfer the fact to the stories to instruct people. The author used the example about how Japanese tell American what they should do or not to do.
I think the fact might be boring, but if we add some thing s fun inside and then tell people, it must be a good stories. Can we say that it is not true? No! I think it just make the fact be more attractive to lure more listeners.
I think every story which is created by people must have some kind of fact there, like people's experiences. I believe that many novels msut include some fact of authors' or other people's experiences; authors just put something fascinating in them to make them be more fabulous.

Here are the groups we formed last week. If something isn't right please comment and I'll fix it.

Group 1
Liz Meyer
Josh Schum
Brian Handler

Group 2
Brian Boswell
John Behrle
John Jackson

Group 3
Chad Buterbaugh
Tim Underhill
Sarah Anderson

Group 4
Iris Antonietti
Brandon Prebynski
Sarah Jones

Group 5
Tonya Naylor
Sam Chiou
Han Wang

Group 6
Erik Crosier
Luke Trout
Jeff Guilkey

Group 7
Martin Ryder
Kyle Hufford
Matt Graf

Group 8
Jessie Roark
Vince Martin
Kellie Gammon

Jessie_3_Q

So let's talk for a minute about cynics. Historically cynics were a group of philosophers in ancient Greece who believed that extolling the virtue of one's self was the only way to achieve happiness and enlightenment. The rest of society frequently referred to them as Dogs because of the way they lived. They rejected all forms of social niceties, up to and including personal hygiene, lovely. They abandoned all ties to family, society and country. They gave up all forms of pleasurable pursuit as they were considered to be distractions from personal virtue. They were also said to have been suspicious, untrusting people who mostly tried to get their point across by mocking the human condition. Needless to say they weren't very popular.

I have a hard time dealing with cynics. I'm kind of the anti-cynic. By nature I'm pretty trusting, I'm fairly respectful of authority figures, I like to listen to what others have to say and I just like people in general. I don't get cynics and I'm pretty sure they don't get me either. I tend to think that they're cowards and they probably think I'm an idiot.

As I'm reading this book, especially the "10 Situations," I recognize myself in the "good" audiences, the ones that react to stories in a positive manner, who see the point of the story and want to alter their behaviors, who trust the person telling them the story. Really though, I have to confess that I am completely terrified of the day I walk into a room full of cynics and have to tell them a story. One or two cynics in a room I can handle. When I was an instructor in the leadership program last year I had to deal with a few students who just wouldn't let the walls down long enough for me to get through. I had some leverage because I controlled part of their grade. But what do you do when you don't have that? Have any of you had to deal with groups that just won't listen to what you have to say? What do you do to combat that?

Chad_3_I

I figure the following is the beating heart of Chapter 3: "Facts are neutral until human beings add their own meaning to those facts. People make their decisions on what the facts mean to them, not on the facts themselves."

Yes, OK, in the context of business communication. I commented on Liz' post regarding this point if you want to read more.

Here I want to suggest the relation of fact to story in some Irish tales complements Simmons' model. Pictured above is Dublin storyteller Richard Marsh, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great- great-great-great-great-great-great grandnephew of St. Patrick. Old myths involve St. Patrick with Ossian, the last warrior of a band of royal guards that may or may not have existed. Now Ossian was a pagan, like all Irish before Patrick's time.

And if Ossian did exist, it would have been many hundreds of years before Patrick. Yet Irish story bends time to put both men in the same place. What's accomplished here is that modern Ireland has a way to reconcile its pagan past with its deeply Catholic present. To reiterate, the story of Patrick and Ossian explains the fact Ireland has pagan and Christian histories that are equally significant.

Of course I can't speak for all of Ireland, but this story resonates with me in a way a history book never could. A more analytical take on the situation might leave me frustrated with apparent contradictions in Irish history. But the story does a great job of situating the facts for me.

Sam_3_Q

When I traveled to Lake Michigan last weekend with other 29 international students and Joel Lieway. I brought my "Story Factor" with me. I tried to finished the 3rd chapter night before we went to the lake. The weather is good, the beach is fun. Later, during the lunch, I witnessed an American friend in our groups trying to drown bees. Yes, the bees are greedy about our food and our drink, especially the magenta ones. But I don't see a right for him to drown the bees. However, I didn't know what to say. I kept silence and left the scene. The 3 chapter of story factors did not help me to stop him. He finally stopped by more and more bigger bees gathering around him, and he started feel scared. I didn't come out with anything, like a story, at the spot to stop him. Is anyone who have a better idea to use a story to stop him? Or just wait for the fact, the bigger bees coming?

Jeff__CHAPTER3__I

What you see? Okay this is going to be the facts. You know it is 4th Dimension Roller Coaster and this is 1 of the 4 roller coaster design in the world today. This roller coaster has a name, "Eejanaika", and it is located in Japan. It goes 78.3 mph. Blah blah blah...

What about the experience of riding it? Photographs and video doesn't really help maybe a little but not much. You gotta experience it or hear someone sharing their story about the ride. The facts can't tell you how it feels, how does it affect your body, or etc. Some people say, "That's just sick!" and some people like me would say, "Let's get on! Where's the enterance?" But the story that the thrill junkie share after riding on many roller coasters and thrill flat rides can conviced some people to go on the rides and try it for themselves! Story can impact us where Facts really don't. That's how I see the difference between story and facts. Not just roller coasters but in other things outside of the Amusement/Theme Parks! Below is the video and see if this tell you a story or not? What do you think?

For those who get motion sickness, I advice you to NOT to watch it. Thanks.


Video filmed and edited by Shintaro Ishikawa of Roller Coaster Maniac.

Luke_3_I

Last year in Dr. Joe's 690, we all looked at our Meyer's Briggs typology. I'm an ENTP. Middle of the road on ENT. Very well pronounced P. I'm a "P" to a fault. It's difficult to focus on any one thing because I'm interested in so much. I have problems with attention span on a large level.

While reading Chapter 3 I noticed Simmons using societal issues as examples of story and fact. Simmons also alludes to each and every one of us telling ourselves stories we believe in(or don't believe in) to uphold or oppose major societal issues. Because these are such big issues and require so much attention in a person's life I'd like to refer to these as macro-stories.

I believe that there are only so many macro-stories that one can commit themselves to before personal effectiveness is compromised. We have a macro-story attention span. In order to preserve those stories most important to us there comes a point where we must reject other stories as truth or priority. This preserves our effectiveness toward a chosen societal issue.

Just the Facts Ma'm

Liz 3: Q
“Just the Facts Ma’m” The old Dragnet approach with stoic faces collides with a new reality proclaimed by Simmons, “a story has life. Facts don’t have a life. They are inert.” Is this a fall out from the days of moral absolutes to relativism? No longer can truth be truth and perceived through logic and facts? Or perhaps, is it just a change in the delivery system? Are emotions (based on our predisposed judging systems) the only way to determine the trustworthiness of an individual or thought concept? What if our screening systems are flawed? Feelings determine the new facts? Could we be hoodwinked by such a fallacy? Subjective truth vs objectivity now prevails. Do you concur?

JohnJ_3_i

The labor of love.

I only thought with it being labor day, that I would tie work into the chapter. What is the job of a storyteller? According to Simmons storytellers have many job titles. Here is a list of what I've come to understand so far (not in any order)
1) Entertainer - To break up the grid of the daily life.
The entertainer may be a writer for a movie, a comidien at a night club, a coworker describing the antics of their past night, or a friend talking to past the time.
2) Motivator - To bring together conflicting sides, to strengthen a common bond in a team, or change apathetic to production.
The motivator may be a coach prep-talking before a game, a mediator for a union, or a marketing team at a trade convention.
3) Teacher - To convey new ideas, new methods of solving a problem, and new ways of seeing our soundings.
A teacher may be in math teaching 6 graders algebra, a preacher telling about a better way to live your life, or a manager training an employee the basics of their job.
4) Persuader - To convince that their point of view is right and that you need to change yours
A persuader may be a lobbyist in Washington for the protection of the environment, a lawyer defending the innocences of this client, or a recruiter for the military.

I know there are other categories but I want to see what other ones people come up with.