Author: Jason Chu

What’s your story?

This is a question I never thought I’d ask myself about my science or my research. What is my story? I’ve always had it in my mind, that science is about understanding the literature, asking the unanswered questions, analysing these results and discussing what they mean. Very methodical.

There’s nothing wrong with this, but it can come across as quite dry and technically intimidating.

This can be dangerous in the “post-truth” era we find ourselves living through. In this world, many people may see scientists as the antagonists. The bad guy that’s colluding with corporations, threatening to upset the status quo with their arrogant expertise and subjective facts.

Let’s not delve into the politics of all of this. But what’s interesting to see is that people are listening to the emotions regardless of whether something is true or false. Can we use this “narrative potential” to talk about our science then?

The Story Collider

I attended a workshop the other week run by The Story Collider.

This non-profit organisation is dedicated to the development of true, personal stories about science. Whether you’re a neuroscientist, a comedian, a geologist, or a journalist. We all have stories that are heart-breaking or hilarious. Both Liz Neeley (Executive Director), and Erin Barker (Artistic Director) crossed the Atlantic Ocean and joined us here in Manchester to deliver a workshop on how scientists can use the storytelling narrative to talk about their science.

They re-told great stories about falling in love with your high school crush, embarrassing yourself in front of your boss, discovering a nest of dinosaur eggs, to feeling bored of African antelopes. These brief but personal stories captured our attention. It was the relatability to the storyteller’s emotions and the personality behind the words that literally had us all on the edge of our seats.

The art of storytelling is nothing new. It has captivated humans since the legendary bards of Ancient Greece. They have been etched into history with stories of the fall of Troy, Pandora’s box, to the Hare and the Tortoise. Stories like these have made generations of humankind laugh, cry, feel, love, hope and think.

Stories encourage, motivate, and educate us.

They help the audience understand and relate to one another. And it is not surprising how storytelling continues to work today.

I personally feel like I’m too early in my research career to have a story about my science. So when we attempted our own narratives, it was just a story about how my friends and I went on a spontaneous trip up to the Isle of Skye. But working in our groups, I learnt to focus on aspects of humour, surprise, and personal emotions, when re-calling that particular story.

Top tips on story-telling:

• Be warm and competent
• Being vulnerable shows strength
• Use humour, creativity, honesty and struggle (or whatever combinations works best for you).
• Tell your story in the present tense
• Know your story (sounds obvious)
  • Beginning > Middle> End
  • Who is your character(s)?
  • What happened?
  • What did it cause?
  • How does science develop the story or character?

Six common story arcs

It can be a challenge to figure out how to form your story, but what might also help is to think about it based on the six most common story arcs in western literature.

1. Rags to riches – story gets better over time
2. Man in the hole – fall in fortune, but the protagonist bounces back
3. Cinderella – initial rise in good fortune, followed by a set-back, but we get a happy ending
4. Tragedy – story only gets worse
5. Icarus – opens with good fortune, but doomed to fail
6. Oedipus – initial fall in fortune, followed by promise, but ending in failure

These all define and track the physical and emotional journey taken by characters in works of classic and modern stories. Whether it’s Odysseus, Hamlet, Anakin Skywalker, Harry Potter, or even us.

Is this “narrative potential” something we could incorporate into our own line of work? The benefits of personalising science with stories may make them more engaging and relatable. Perhaps not even just at a public engagement level. Maybe we can even liven up our department meetings with the art of storytelling.

Interested in what this might sound like? Well, the Story Collider has a podcast with powerful stories from real people.

Otherwise, closer to home, Manchester are hosting their very own event on December the 6th 2018 at The Birdcage – Story Collider: True Stories about Science.

It’s something to think about.

What’s your story?