I was quite tickled last week and felt I’d made the bigtime when Dan Schawbel mentioned my social-media resume on Mashable (along with his own and several others). I first blogged about my social-media resume almost exactly a year ago. I created my social-media resume partly because I saw that … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Human Need for Storytelling Behind Debunked “Stages” Theories, Scientists Say
So, it turns out that “stages” theories, particularly Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s well-known five stages of grief, have no basis in research, according to Michael Shermer in Scientific American. We humans apparently come up with these stages because, Shermer writes, “we are pattern-seeking, storytelling primates trying to make sense of an often … Continue reading
Q&A with a Story Guru: Karen Gilliam, PhD, Part 5
See a photo of Karen, a link to her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Q&A with Karen Gilliam, PhD (Question 5): Q: Given that some of your story work is with individuals, and given that Sankofa Symbolism embraces redefinition, to what … Continue reading
Story Prompts for Transmitting Values
Dr. Paul White recently wrote at length about using stories to transfer values from one family member to another (he wrote the post over the Christmas holidays, suggesting that period as a particularly good time to undertake this values transfer.) Eventually White concludes: An excellent way to share important principles … Continue reading
Friday Wordle for a Freezing Nation
The entire US seems to very cold. Here in Central Florida, January is usually our coldest month, but this month began with unseasonably warm weather. While not enjoyable, it is somehow fitting that we are finally experiencing typical January temperatures. We’re not as cold as the rest of the nation, … Continue reading
Will Obama Tell a Sticky Story Tuesday?
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by brothers Dan and Chip Heath is not exactly news; the book came out in 2007. But it’s worth revisiting on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration as US president, in part because the Heath’s most frequently cited example of … Continue reading
Q&A with a Story Guru: Karen Gilliam, PhD, Part 4
See a photo of Karen, a link to her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, and Part 3. Q&A with Karen Gilliam, PhD (Question 4): Q: Joan Southgate turned you onto Sankofa Symbolism, which your Web site talks a bit about. Can you elaborate a little on … Continue reading
Q&A with a Story Guru: Karen Gilliam, PhD, Part 3
See a photo of Karen, a link to her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A, and Part 2. Q&A with Karen Gilliam, PhD (Question 3): Q: Your doctoral dissertation focused on the influence of the story of Joan Southgate, “the 70+ year old African-American grandmother, educator, social worker, and … Continue reading
When Tech Stories Meet Marketing Stories
Here’s another quickie roundup, this time on convergences among tech products, marketing, and storytelling: Who knew that GMail was story-worthy (though I have learned to no longer question any story application)? GMail users tell their stories here. Actually, it’s not so odd to tell stories about an e-mail application, but … Continue reading
Q&A with a Story Guru: Karen Gilliam, PhD, Part 2
See a photo of Karen, a link to her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A. Q&A with Karen Gilliam, PhD (Question 2): Q: What future aspirations do you personally have for your own story work? What would you like to do in the story world that you haven’t … Continue reading