Zynia - Motivational metaphors for Training and Development

Metaphor for the mind - why it works

Metaphor in the form of a story is a powerful tool for engaging an audience.

So when and why does storytelling work in a business or organisational setting? The use of metaphor, or storytelling works best when listeners understand that valuable knowledge can be gained from listening to accounts of other people’s experiences and when the story is relevant to the issues faced by the individual and the organisation. If an individual is interested in learning about a particular issue, stories can be an effective and entertaining way to transfer knowledge – without ‘death by Powerpoint’.

There may be a close relationship with Kolb’s learning cycle in which we have an experience, reflect on it, draw some conclusions and identify a new way forward. In storytelling the story may not be our own direct experience, but we are able to engage with a real experience through the power of the metaphor. We reflect on this and then, by what may seem a kind of magic, out of reflecting we gain a moment of insight that helps us to arrive at a new perspective and identify a different way of dealing with a situation.

Consider stories as you would any other training medium when designing a course. The Zynia products come with professionally recorded stimulating stories and a full resource pack, and can be used over and over again, making it a cost effective way to assist individual and organisational learning.