Читать книгу Figure It Out - Stephen P. Anderson - Страница 64

Of course, the application of narratives isn’t limited to simulations or speeches.

One thing that struck me (Stephen), from all the academic research into narrative, is just how much we focus on people. If the most compelling parts of a book or movie are character-driven, if according to the research it’s people— more than any other element of a story—that captivate our attention, then how might we add or introduce characters to our topic?

The software and design worlds have done this for years in the form of personas, a tool intended to foster empathy for users of products, especially where access to actual users is limited. But it need not be this literal. We’ve seen the periodic table of elements brought to life by making each and every element a character. Some of the bestselling business books—such as Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team—illustrate their lessons through a long, extended fable, with a brief bit of commentary at the end.

Moreover, if the content we are seeking to understand concerns the complexities of social life, shouldn’t we embrace—rather than obscure—these kinds of narrative associations?