1. The Value of Storytelling
May 2013 Network Call

2. My name is Brittany Calvert and I am a senior operations specialist here for Masterpiece Living and these pictures that you see on the screen represent my stories. We’re going to be exploring storytelling the value it can bring to a community so I wanted to just get your wheels turning by showing some of my stories. Even in a snapshot we are able to see a story. We may not know exactly what the story is, but we all know that there’s some story behind each and everyone of these pictures you see on the screen.

3. Noun sto·ry·tell·ing [stawr-ee-tel-ing]: the telling or
writing of stories
sto·ry·tell·ing
[stawr-ee-tel-ing]:
Let’s start off by defining story telling. Storytelling is the telling or writing of stories. Definitions are brief, as they should be, but we’re going to spend time today explore the complexity, magic, and value of storytelling together.

4. What is it like to listen to someone’s story or to be told a story
What is it like to listen to someone’s story or to be told a story? I’ll take a stab at painting my experience and you can think about how it might be similar or different than mine. When I’m listening to a story... Preferably from an unexpected enthusiastic storyteller, the world slows down around me. I get caught up in what it must have been like or why it happened, unlink this guy who doesn’t seem to be absorbing his story very well…

5. HiSTORY of Storytelling
We wouldn’t have history without stories.
It makes sense that I, and I’d be willing to say, many others on the call would agree, feel like listening to a good story is almost something I was build to do… Which really makes sense, because as a people, this is the main way we’ve communicated since, well, we’ve first started communicating. Cave paintings were believed to exist primarily to help storytellers retell and carry on to ensure that younger generations learned about the world around them.

6. Although cave paintings won’t really be convenient for us anymore, we have all of these other ways that we share stories now beyond the bedtime stories we may share with children and grandchildren now. We experience storytelling through theatrical performances, music, photography, dance, novels, and even through seeing people’s tattoos. These are all ways that we share our stories today. In the chat field, enter
What are other ways you can experience storytelling?

7. Why?
So why should we even be discussing storytelling today? Obviously stories are a great way to educate, entertain, and preserve and represent our culture, but there’s something else that’s fundamentally significant about story telling. I’d argue that we live our stories and that ultimately when we are sharing a story, we are really sharing a part of ourselves and that person will hold that part of us forever. We can build our legacy through the stories that we share. We can be validated in our life by simply getting our story heard. Simply put, people get to know who we really are through our stories.

8. & Storytelling?
We really learn about one another through storytelling and one reason that storytelling is so valuable to you all is that it allows you to see the great human capital that your organization has. There are two questions in the Lifestyle Review that speak indirectly to the value of story telling. The first asks how often a participant has opportunities to use their skills, abilities, and experiences. The second asks how often a participant has opportunities to add to their skills and abilities or to acquire new ones. How are communities to know what these skills, abilities, and experiences are in order to provide residents with opportunities to use them or add to them? Storytelling! By encouraging residents and staff to share their stories and to collect them, the stories can serve as a guide for programming, events, and enriching the relationships within the community.

9. Somewhat often Not very often
This data that was pulled showing the results from that first question about using your skills, abilities, and experiences within a community. The top is the baseline with an average age of 84.5 and the bottom line represents responses taken during the an annual collection of Review data. You can see here that these participants in IL are using their skills, abilities between “quite often” and “somewhat often”. There is no improvement from one year to the next
Quite often
Somewhat
often
Not very
often
Very often
Not at all

10. Somewhat often Not very often
The graph is laid out the same fashion, but provides data on the second question about how often residents can add to their skills or abilities or acquire new ones. Unfortunately, no change in the data from baseline to the first annual response. Is this satisfactory for Masterpiece Living partners? We don’t think so!
Very often
Quite often
Somewhat
often
Not very
often
Not at all

11. Somewhat often Not very often
The picture is more disappointing when looking at data from residents from assisted living. You can see here there’s been a visible decline in perceived opportunities to use their skills, abilities, and experiences.
3.35 vs. 3
Very often
Not at all
Quite often
Somewhat
often
Not very
often

12. Not very often Somewhat often
The same trend continues with the second question, of whether residents can add to their skills or abilities or acquire new ones. 3.5 vs. 3.2
Not at all
Very often
Quite often
Not very
often
Somewhat
often

13. Storytelling
Storytelling can really help in bridging this gap from year to year and to provide a meaningful experience for everyone within each Masterpiece Living organization in all levels of living.

14. Storytelling and Memory Care
Memory Detectives
Storytelling and Memory Care
Piedmont Gardens
Jeremy Townsend
Program Manager of the Grove
Jeremy Townsend the Program Manager of The Grove at Piedmont Gardens has generously agreed to present with me today on how story telling is used within Memory Care at Piedmont Gardens. The information that he will share can absolutely be applied in all areas of an organization, but I’ll go ahead and let him tell his story… Thank you for joining us, Jeremy. The floor is yours…

15. What does storytelling purpose?
To Communicate: (emotions, needs, desires, dreams, inquiries) How I feel, how I’m doing, what I want, what I miss…
To Connect: (companionship, empathy, solidarity) There is a WE, we are not alone, we are in this together, we share
To Contribute: (opinions, perspectives, beliefs) I know things, my opinions have value, I can be trusted, I am involved…
To Discover: (realizations, surprise, curiosity) We are always learning, we have different perspectives, everyday is new
To Create: (stories, poetry, song) the language of metaphor, ambiguity, imagery & sensation
What does storytelling purpose?

16. How does storytelling happen?
one-on-one interactions
group activities
formal
public
creative
scheduled
discussion
projects
informal
private
personal
everyday
conversation
snippets
How does storytelling happen?

17. What makes a story? content flow characteristics arc colors lesson
Details
Plot
content
characteristics
colors
matter
flavors and textures
sounds and smells
accents
melody
ingredients
nouns
flow
arc
lesson
energy
mode
progress
intention and motive
rhythm
steps
verbs
What makes a story?

18. 1. Initiate: present an idea, object, or image, call attention to a detail or phenomenon, notice something
2. Generate lots of content: ask questions, brainstorm, word association, synonyms and antonyms, think of the component parts and processes
3. Categorize & organize ideas: find similarities and differences in meaning, connotation, texture, chronology, look for patterns,
4. Put things in a meaningful order: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
How do we make stories?

19. Where are the stories? Objects Images Shared Experiences Culture
Show & Tell
Knick-Knacks
Kitchen Utensils
Office Supplies
Images
Collaging
Magazines/Newspapers
Art & Photography
Family Photo Albums
Shared Experiences
Activities of Daily Living
Common Tasks
Household Chores
Hobbies
Culture
Music
Movies
Headlines
Poetry
Where are the stories?

20. Storytelling as a Collaborative Process
Rely on their experience
Fill in the blanks
Ask questions
What do you think of this?
How does it make you feel?
How would you describe it?
Tie it to their life story
Does this remind you of anything?
Is this like when you…
Validate, Restate & Elaborate
That’s so true, I agree…
So you’re saying…
Is it similar to…
Make it personal
That reminds me of…
I remember once…
Did you know…
Storytelling as a Collaborative Process

21. Examples One-on-one – Conversation Group essay - Show & Tell
Group fiction - Timeslips
Group songwriting - Madlibs

22. Why are we Memory Detectives?
We are careful listeners.
We are following them and observing.
We are luring people in.
We are gaining
their trust.
We are trying to get people to talk.

23. What is the rest of the Network doing?
Thank you, Jeremy! It’s great to see what’s happening throughout our Network so let’s go ahead and take a look at other ways communities are using storytelling to create and/or celebrate a culture of successful aging…

24. High School Life Story Project La LomaVillage
This next best practice comes to us from La Loma Village in Litchfield Park, AZ. This was featured in the 2012 Lyceum presentation about intergenerational programming so it might seem familiar for some of you. An art class from a local school came to the community, interviewed residents, and then painted a painting representing their life story. This is a fabulous best practice, because a resident gets the chance to share their story and a study has the honor to listen. Creating a piece of art is a permanent symbol of this interaction.

25. Take a Peek at Llanfair webpage Llanfair Retirement Community
Llanfair Retirement Community out of Cincinnati, OH uses storytelling as a marketing opportunity. An online campaign titled “Take a Peek at Llanfair” highlights the stories of individual team members and residents, which really is a celebration of the human capital they are lucky to have within their community.

26. Art Gallery Stories Holly Creek Retirement Community
Holly Creek Retirement Community here in Colorado takes their art gallery one step further by posting a story about each art piece underneath the display. This is a great way for resident, staff, and visitors to have a better understanding of the person associated with each piece.

27. I am from clothespins, from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride
I am from clothespins,  from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.  I am from the dirt under the back porch. (Black, glistening,  it tasted like beets.)  I am from the forsythia bush the Dutch elm whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own. …
“Where I’m From” Poem Cape May Retirement Village Poet: George Ella Lyon
Cape May Retirement Community out of Wilmington, OH recently shared this exercise with us that they’ve used with both staff and residents for everyone to get to know each other better. “Where I’m From” is a poem written by George Ella Lyon. I posted some of the poem on the screen for you to see. Cape May provided us with a template in a Madlibs format, if you will, for the poem that they use for residents to personalize. For instance, the first line of the poem is I am from clothespins and the first line of the template is I am from blank – a specific ordinary item… Something simple that represents where they are from. This is a really creative way for someone to think about their story and then put it on paper. I will be sending this out with the follow up from this Network call so all have access to it.
HisI am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product name) and _______(product name).
I am from the _______ (home description... adjective, adjective, sensory detail).
I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______ (plant, flower, natural detail)
tory written underneath each piece of art

28. New Horizons Newsletter Holland Home

29. Life Bio Presbyterian Senior Living sites
Last, but not least, I wanted to showcase Life Bio, a program used by some Presbyterian Senior Living sites. Life Bio is a computer program that helps to create biographies and capture stories. You can see in this picture here that it also provides a great opportunity for an intergenerational experience. This student is helping to record the resident’s story on an iPad.

30. Thank You. Now go share your story...
Okay, it’s time to close the book on this Network call. Thank you for attending and now it’s time for you to go out and share your story.
Thank You.
Now go share your story...