How do you measure the impact of your stories on learners?

You can look at how much people engage with the content, gather feedback, and observe changes in their actions and understanding. This includes things like seeing how many people interact with the story, how many complete it, and what they say in assessments. The key is to notice the real, tangible differences in what learners do and understand after experiencing your stories.

Before starting your story, the first question that should come into play is, "What's your purpose or objective in telling that story?" That way, you can measure the outcome at the end of the day

It's easy to think of stories as something immeasurable where KPIs are concerned, but fortunately, that's not the case. With an audience of learners, in particular, you can link the incorporation of your story to learning goals and measurement of these goals. Your KPIs, or your stated learning goals, should inform your chosen story, as well as the narrative development of that story.

Your end goals and the message you want to convey should be clear before you start curating your story. Based on your objective, you must set the parameters which will help you in analysing the success of your story and how well audience resonated with it.

Your impact selection here before starting to map out your storytelling will define how you measure your success. To Educate and to Inform may well be two ingredients which will can support in forming a great storytelling structure for learners.

Rating stories is good - rating their effectiveness in imparting your learnings is even better. In order to measure the true impact of stories on learners, you must measure what they have actually learnt as a result of your story. A particularly effective way of doing this is to contextualise their learnings by asking story-related questions, looking especially for plot and theme retention. In other words: How much of what your learners have learnt can actually be attributed to the story you told them?

Being open to feedback is super important. Both qualitative and quantitative. Using different tools to collect this feedback both during and after your storytelling journey will only help you respond and improve your impact. Be open to it.

Gather Immediate Feedback. Right after sharing a story, I always seek immediate feedback. This can be through quick surveys, polls, or even a show of hands if in-person. Asking questions like, 'What part of the story resonated with you the most?' or 'What key takeaway did you get from this story?' helps gauge initial reactions and understand what elements made an impact.

Surveys and feedback forms serve as valuable tools, offering metrics that gauge the effectiveness of narratives with the audience. However, the key lies in crafting questions that don't inadvertently guide responses. Vagueness fosters authenticity, revealing the unfiltered impact of stories. Beyond quantitative metrics, the qualitative insights gleaned from open-ended responses provide an understanding of how stories resonate and provoke thought.

"They may forget what you said, but they will not forget how you made them feel." — Carl W. Buehner After sharing your story, ask your listeners to fill out surveys or feedback forms. This helps you understand what they liked, what they learned, and what could be better. It's like asking for directions to make sure you're on the right path.

Enseñar a través de las historias es, quizá, la mejor manera de enseñar, porque cuando involucramos las emociones y los sentidos en una actividad (como el aprendizaje) se vuelve mucho más sencillo y fácil de entender y, sobre todo, de aplicar. Para mí, algunas buenas formas de medir el impacto de las historias en los alumnos son: - Sus comentarios y sus expresiones después de leerlas. Ahí podemos ver cómo los hizo sentir. - Las conversaciones entre ellos alrededor de las historias. - La retención y puesta en práctica de lo enseñado en las historias. - La manifestación del deseo de seguir aprendiendo a través de las historias. - El dominio de tema que se enseñó a través de historia.

I have my team send me 2 things on a periodic basis. 1) a clip from a customer call where they feel they CRUSHED the story component of the presentation. 2) a clip from a customer call where they feel like they could have done better. By having the compare/contrast of good bad, it's very easy to show the learner how it feels/sounds when it's done right, vs when we missed the mark. From there, give them ONE actionable item to work on, and only move on to the next once they've mastered that building block.

Observing changes in learner behavior and performance can provide tangible evidence of the impact of your stories. This might involve tracking participation in discussions, performance on assessments related to the story topics, or any improvement in skills directly targeted by your storytelling objectives.

"What gets measured gets managed." — Peter Drucker Watch how learners act during and after your story. Do they seem more interested in certain topics? Are they doing better in quizzes or tasks? Keeping track of these changes can show you how much your story has helped them learn and grow.

The impact of a story echoes not only in hearts but also in actions. Track learner behavior and performance as a litmus test for the resonance of your narratives. Are they applying the lessons learned? Are they engaging deeply with the material? By observing their actions, you measure the ripples of your storytelling, witnessing firsthand the transformative power it wields.

The interviews you conduct are crucial to really knowing the impact of stories. Think of the specific benefits of story - in particular, in building trust. Trust and belonging eases learning, which is a stressful task, so interviews can help raise the level of trust though this is tough to quantify. You would need carefully designed questions and behaviour in the interview itself with open-ended questions inviting learners to share their stories. The benefit of this is you will gain valuable insights into the power of your stories and ideas for new ones. The ideal scenario is when you can use learner stories to inform the learning of the next cohort.

1. Ask them directly: Conduct interviews or focus groups where learners can share their thoughts and experiences with your stories. 2. See it in action: Ask learners to explain or demonstrate what they learned from the stories, or how they applied those lessons to real-life situations.

Interviews and focus groups allow for deeper exploration of learners' experiences with your stories. Through open-ended questions, you can uncover insights into how the stories influenced their thinking, feelings, and learning process, providing a richer understanding than surveys alone.

"The art of communication is the language of leadership." — James Humes Talk to your learners in interviews or group discussions. This gives you deeper insights into how your story has influenced their thoughts or actions. It’s a great way to hear directly from them and get detailed feedback.

Stories are bridges connecting hearts and minds. Conduct interviews and focus groups to traverse these bridges, delving into the depths of impact. Listen to the personal anecdotes, the heartfelt revelations, and the shared experiences of learners. Through these interactions, you illuminate the path of understanding, forging bonds of empathy and empowerment.

Asking your learners to share their work after your storytelling is a great way not just to see the impact that your storytelling has had on them, but also provides them a great chance to express their newly learnt skills! A showcase and learning experience rolled into one.

Il faut injecter des portfolios et des réflexions dans l'évaluation de l'impact de mes histoires. Les portfolios, tels des reflets, incitent les apprenants à rassembler des moments clés de leur immersion narrative, mettant en lumière les thèmes psychologiques qui ont suscité leur intérêt. Simultanément, les réflexions les invitent à sonder leurs réactions émotionnelles et leurs pensées face aux personnages et aux situations. Ces outils, véritables témoins, permettent une évaluation authentique, saisissant les nuances psychologiques subtiles et offrant une vision complète de l'influence des histoires sur leur épanouissement intellectuel et émotionnel.

A story doesn't end with the last word; it lingers in the minds of its audience, shaping their thoughts and perspectives. Encourage learners to create portfolios and reflections, where they can capture the essence of their journey. In these artifacts, you'll find the fingerprints of your storytelling – moments of clarity, epiphanies of insight, and the blossoming of newfound wisdom.

A portfolio could include: Tangible products or creations that demonstrate understanding and application of concepts. Essays, artwork, videos, projects, or any other relevant work samples. Reflections, insights, and analyses of their learning process and growth. Written journals, audio or video logs, or structured reflection prompts. Comments, critiques, or evaluations from teachers, peers, or other stakeholders. A grasp of key story concepts, themes, or messages, connecting prior knowledge and real-world contexts. Insights into their thinking, learning, and growth processes, and how the story experience has shaped their approach to future learning and development. A portfolio showcases the learner's mastery of real world concepts.

Storytelling through an educational lens is an AMAZING opportunity to lift the learning experience and add real value. We all remember our best teachers ... usually because they are engaging and great communicators. So when it comes to leaning - do not forget the importance of this!

En plus des méthodes classiques comme les objectifs, sondages, et portfolios, on peut mesurer l'impact en vérifiant combien de temps les lecteurs passent sur nos histoires ou en examinant ce qu'ils créent après les avoir lues. On peut aussi évaluer régulièrement la compréhension pendant la lecture et observer comment les comportements et émotions changent avec le temps. Ces approches offrent une vision complète de l'influence des histoires sur les apprenants.

The best way to measure the impact of your stories on learner’s is a brief interaction after the session and encourage to share their thoughts and observations on the story. Multiple evaluation methods can be used to measure the impact - surveys or feedback through a quick scan code. Long term assessment can be planned where you plan an interaction session after 15 days to hear out from the participants their learning’s or any discussion regarding the same. The key is to align the learning objectives with the evaluation methods with the context of the story and the message you wanted to send across as a coach.

Evaluate Long-Term Impact. The true test of a story’s impact is its long-term effect. I follow up with learners weeks or even months after the storytelling session to see if the story still resonates and influences their actions and decisions. Long-term surveys and interviews can provide valuable insights into the enduring power of a story.

Beyond the metrics and methods lies the beating heart of storytelling: connection. Consider the intangible yet profound impact your stories have on learners' lives. The laughter shared, the tears shed, the moments of inspiration – these are the true measures of impact. Embrace the stories within stories, the serendipitous encounters, and the unexpected transformations. For in the end, it's not just about what you measure, but the magic you create.