What is the story you want to tell?

Storylines is a planning and goal-setting methodology that relies upon principles of narrative theory to engage group process participants in crafting a direction for their organization. In brief, it relies on storytelling to capture information from the past and present to create a vision of the future. It recognizes that the most important elements of the process will be found in the experiences of individuals, emphasizing that organizations and communities provide the mechanisms through which these experiences are transformed into coherent linear narratives that enable individuals to make sense of the world around them.

Storylines follows a three-step approach to the task of planning and goal-setting. In the first step, Memories, the focus is on the past. Participants’ back stories are related with an emphasis on capturing a sense of community and organization history and culture. During the second step, Perceptions, participants will create vignettes, brief descriptions of the present moment that identify key individual and organization actors and the barriers and bridges that will determine future success. The final step is Expectations in which participants will decide upon a direction for the future and the paths to be taken to get there.

The Storylines approach can be adapted to meet the needs of groups of different sizes and to fit the time available for the exercise. To request additional information, or to seek a proposal for your organization, please visit the “Contact Us” page.