Story-telling can be a powerful means of enriching the whole learning experience. Margaret Parkin, speaking at the HRD 2001 conference will explain how the storytelling process can increase the brain's potential and create a more valuable learning event.

She argues that by mixing fantasy and fiction with fact, course participants are able to retain much more of what they have learned. Story-telling also relaxes the learner and makes them more receptive to alternative ways of thinking. Whilst story-telling (done well) has many potential uses, Parkin warns of the dangers of going too far and of using stories without a purpose. "The story has to be relevant to the audience and their learning needs."

Story-telling has some similarity to the management fable books pioneered by Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) - another exhibitor here at HRD 2001.

And if you want to catch up more on story-telling approaches, Dave Snowden 'The father of organisational story-telling' is speaking at the H.O.T. Event during the Innovation in Training Day on 26 June in Birmingham.