One of my long-term ambitions is to create and put on workshops that help people change their lives and careers through story: Change the Story, Change Your Life (or Career).
I’ve come across a couple of models for what I’d like to do. One comes from The Story Lady, Ronda Del Boccio, whose Web site Storyation asks: “What story do you create for yourself? She talks about finding patterns in one’s stories and that the “path to success follows a pattern.” The definition of Storyation, Del Boccio says, is “creating your story into the world,” adding that “when you create a new life for yourself, you are not only telling yourself a new story but creating that story in your life.” In reading her site further and viewing her blog, I think that the story work Del Boccio does is a little more geared toward entrepreneurs and folks seeking big success than the way I envision my work.
The other model that intrigues is the Dependable Strengths Articulation Process developed by Bernard Haldane (the current incarnation of whose firm has had kind of a mixed reputation in the career field; Google Bernard Haldane to see what I mean). The Dependable Strengths Web site describes the process:
… the heart of the process is storytelling. DSAP Facilitators are trained to elicit the kind of stories that illustrate a person’s Dependable Strengths–those strengths characteristic of a person’s best work. Participants tell their stories in small groups, and receive feedback in the form of written and vocal comments from each of the others in their group. Participants are encouraged to pay special attention to body language–that of the storyteller as well as that of the listeners.
Dependable Strengths offers DSAP facilitator training. I’m interested in learning more.