Here are some thoughts/experiences from last week regarding anecdotes, how to elicit them and story-telling

• Last Wednesday I listened to Alana, an Aboriginal lady, tell a traditional teaching story and we chatted afterwards. In organisations we generally see stories morph over time, with details changing but much of the meaning being retained. Alana explained that this is not what happens with traditional aboriginal stories. She had been given permission to tell the story with the strict understanding that she would re-tell the story precisely as it had been told to her. By insisting on the exact reproduction of the story the meaning is much less likely to change over time and in this way knowledge can be passed faithfully from generation to generation.
• Shawn and I have the general view that ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions will normally elicit opinions and generalisations rather than anecdotes. ‘When’ and ‘where’ questions are generally better at generating experiences. Also on Wednesday, I heard a ‘how’ question that is fantastic to get anecdotes: ‘How did you meet Grandma?’ The great thing about this question is that it takes you to a very specific event and it can’t help but result in an anecdote (unless Grandpa is in a grumpy mood).