McDowell teaches skill, science of effective storytelling

Kate McDowell
Kate McDowell, Associate Professor

Think for a moment about a meaningful event or time in your life, one of your strongest memories.

Chances are you’re thinking of that memory not as a single instance in a vacuum but in the context of what led to it, the people who might have experienced it with you, or the consequences of the actions that took place. You’re probably thinking of that memory as a sequence with a beginning, middle, and end—as a story.

This tendency for humans to hold onto strong memories as stories is evidence of the power of storytelling, a skill Associate Professor Kate McDowell has taught students in the iSchool for a decade.

“It’s really clear that what’s most meaningful to us we store in the form of story. . . . It’s a structure in which we put the meaning that we care about,” said McDowell. She finds this to be true in her own research and in talking with participants in classes and workshops she teaches on the topic.

There is also hard science backing up this idea. “Our brains are hard-wired for story,” said McDowell. “Scientifically, it’s been shown by pretty rigorous studies that when people are telling and listening to the same story at the same time, their brain waves actually sync up. Something very aligning occurs between humans when they are encountering the same story and being absorbed in the narrative together at the same time,” she explained.

Our universal reaction to engaging stories makes storytelling a powerful tool in many contexts. As a result, McDowell’s expertise is in demand.  

Since 2014, she has taught several workshops for alumni relations and fundraising professionals at Illinois. With these audiences, she focuses on the importance of listening and techniques for drawing out stories from members of the Illinois community, such as alumni and potential donors. She encourages participants to think about a story’s teller, tale, and audience, and how to elicit stories that strengthen connections to the institution.  

This past spring, McDowell shared her storytelling expertise with undergraduate business students in an experimental course. The course featured storytelling among several “soft skills.” Having taught Storytelling (LIS409) many times both in person and online, McDowell opted to take a hybrid approach in this new course. Prior to each lecture, students watched one of three videos outlining major aspects of the storytelling process. Topics included the importance of trust in effective storytelling, ethics of storytelling, story ownership (individual, cultural, and institutional/organizational), and aspects of a story that may make it more or less difficult to tell.

Most recently, McDowell delivered the keynote address for the two-day workshop, “Storytelling with Data,” which focused on techniques for using data analysis and storytelling to engage target audiences in a range of settings. McDowell’s talk addressed ways to distinguish engaging pieces of a story—like character, setting, and plot—in data.

“How do you distinguish what’s operating as your character from the setting? With data, there is often a lot to draw from that could be important, but if you’re going to tell a story, you have to pick one thing that’s the most important,” she explained.

One thing McDowell makes clear—no matter the setting—is that storytelling isn’t merely a performance. It’s a complex process that involves knowing your audience, framing a tale to support an information-sharing goal, making complex stories understandable and engaging, and being a good listener.

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