"And out of our years of experimenting and experience we learned one basic thing about bringing pleasure and knowledge to people of all ages and conditions, which goes to the very roots of public communication. That is this—the power of relating facts, as well as fables, in story form." -- Walt Disney    Certainly Walt Disney was the king of storytelling. As I discovered during my years working for the “Mouse,” every attraction at the Disney theme parks tells a story. Those stories are one of the main differentiators between Disney and every other theme park operator. Another king in an entirely different context also validated this truth.

The year was 2008. I was waiting in one of those annoyingly small doctor’s offices for my very good physician. He, normally on time, was running late. While searching for something to do to occupy my time I reluctantly, having forgotten my reading glasses, began flipping through several overly used and battered magazines. One of them was the February 1, 2007, edition of Entertainment Weekly. While squinting through unfocused eyes, I came across a thought-provoking article.

Stephen King—yes the horror writer—was the author, and the article was No Stars, Sorry. In the article, King opines on the then-current Hollywood movie theater attendance slump. His baseline point was that story, not marquee, defined the difference between a Hollywood hit or miss. King contended that, where a star can build opening weekend attendance, only a captivating story guarantees continued success.

King had a point. Examples abound where movies filled with unknowns outpaced sales figures for star vehicles. Last summer, for example, Guardians of the Galaxy did more than $275 million in tickets with no big name stars. Meanwhile, the Tom Cruise-led Edge of Tomorrow struggled to reach a million.

Walt Disney Animation hits and misses tell the same story. Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and The Lion King all had strong stories that resonated with audiences. Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Bolt, and Home on the Range did not and failed. All of these pictures were voiced by known stars, but star power could not guarantee their success.

Stories in the classroom

That same dynamic holds true in learning. Nothing illustrates a learning point like a good story. In fact, stories have always been present in human lives. Through the ages, stories have been used to teach lessons, record history, share difficult news, and (most importantly to the trainer) make sense of a mysterious and chaotic world.

In a time before science and technology, the movement of the moon across the sky, variables in the weather, animals of the earth, and the wonders of all that is human must have seemed mysterious in the extreme. Stories helped early peoples make sense of, and cope with, the circumstances they found themselves in. As Margaret Parkin, in her book Tales for Trainers explained, “Stories have always been used as a powerful tool for communicating vital information from one generation to another; they have always been used as a vehicle for the wise to educate the young. And we know that they are highly successful. If not, they would not have survived.”

Now imagine the plight of nervous, uninformed learners who must put all apprehension aside and focus on learning something new and mysterious. They listen to an instructor presenting fact after fact, seemingly random and chaotic. The facts become jumbled, the trainees confused.

Another group of trainees, also nervous and uninformed, listen to an instructor offer the same facts placed in a setting, wrapped around a story. These facts make sense. They have context. They are part of something greater than the facts themselves.

Importance of context

The trainer who wishes to truly connect with learners and to make training stick should present everything within a context. Content is not king. Context is. Context illuminates content. Without context, content is noise.

Brilliant training programs focus their content. They tell a story. They make training a page-turner you can’t put down. Trainees become so engaged that they focus with baited breath, anxious to discover what comes next. They are fully engaged and one with the trainer.

So, as you arrange your content, think about the context within which that content exists. Ask yourself:

• Is your training interesting?

• Does it have a narrative?

• Does it continually build from point to point?

• Does it come to a satisfying climax as the training ends?

• Does it have a purpose larger than the moment alone?

• Is it arranged in ways that surprise and delight your trainees?

• Does it contain any logic gaps for learners to get lost in?

• Would you want to sit and listen to it?

• Given a choice, would a learner want to return after lunch?

• Could you sell tickets to it if you wanted to? 

  Certainly master storytellers Disney and King know a thing or two about stories. Take a cue from them. Don’t just teach bullet points. Train a story.

© 2014 ATD, Alexandria, VA. All rights reserved.