Story Telling Outline

Robert A. Creo

A thousand years ago, in the days of camel caravans, storytellers gather here in the tea shops and brought the outside world and all its thoughts and ideas to the bazaar. In time, the bazaar came to be known as Qissa Khwani—the Bazaar of the Storytellers.
Peshawar, Pakisan From New York Times, October 14, 2001, page 1

A story provides a “shortcut” and is a substitute for analytical thinking.
Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. Influence: Science and Practice.

Four common archtypes

Warrior
Healer
Visionary
Teacher
Angeles Arrien, San Francisco, cultural anthropologist

The way of the Healer is storytelling.
Angeles Arrien, San Francisco, cultural anthropologist

Participants liked mediators and had greater respect for those who shared personal information and their own “story” or insights.
Tamara Rellis, LLB., LLM.

Participants who are laypersons/parties do NOT care about what the law which may or may not apply to their own case.
Tamara Rellis, LLB., LLM.

It is clear to the parties when the mediator loses control of the process to the lawyers.
Tamara Rellis, LLB., LLM.

The difference, I think lies in the distinction between analytical and holist thinking. Our North American conflict resolution approaches are driven by analysis; that is, the breaking of things down in to their component parts.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 81)

Storytelling, by which I mean recounting what happened by providing proverbs, analogies, or even fables---keeps all parts together. It understands problems and events as a whole.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 81)

Example: BATNA does not translate but “Lesser of two evils” is common proverb across cultures.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 81)

Language is more than a vehicle for communication. It is a window to how people organize their understanding and expression of conflict.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 76)

Any given proverb carries with it certain images and suggestions. Proverbs are linked to an advice-giving mode of conflict resolution.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 79)

Even conflict resolution uses metaphors – e.g, “the table.”
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 79)

One of the biggest challenges of proverb use is knowing how to employ proverbial wisdom as a confrontational and conflict resolution tool.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 79)

Proverbs debate each other.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 79)

Walt Disney developed storyboarding in outlining and producing cartoons.
John Paul Lederach, Preparing for Peace: Conflict Transformation Across Cultures (page 87)