LEARNING EVENTS NEED TO TRIGGER AND ELICIT STORIES FROM PARTICIPANTS. with story devices than with standard forms of discourse. * Breaking a story up into smaller pieces throughout a learning event will help you anchor your learning and hold people's attention. * Scenarios can be used as mini virtual reality simulators to engage people in stimulating conversation. Telling stories is the tip of the iceberg. We need to be able to listen for the stories, look for emerging patterns, and explore the contours of this terrain as meaning emerges. Search for context and the message behind the story. And, perhaps most central to our discussion: Learning events need to trigger and elicit stories from participants. consulting, I have learned how to use stories as powerful vehicles for eliciting people's experiences and knowledge, and helping people hear each other and themselves in deeper ways to promote reflection and learning in organizations. Have you considered that ... * A learning event is an unfolding story. * People craft stories to make sense of what they are learning. * Stories are at the intersection of people's synthesis of learning. * Stories are tools for thinking. * You can move through complex information more efficiently Don't be concerned if stories don't get shared during a live event. If people are reflecting on stories, they'll be making invaluable links to your key messages. Stories touch our imaginations. Real changes in behavior related to performance percolate in our imaginations before they ever become visible. Stories that create engagement don't need to be long, drawn-out dramas. Two or more smaller stories woven together can be more effective than one big story. T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING 201 7 I WWW. T RAI NINGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE | 27http://www.trainingindustry.com/ezine.aspx