A521.7.4.RB - Knowledge Sharing Story

Knowledge sharing stories are a bit different than a normal story. There isn't a plot, climax, or denouement. They can be dry and lifeless along the lines of "I went to fix a computer and the user had every toolbar imaginable installed and they were draining all the RAM. I learned a new technique for clearing them and here it is." There you have a basic knowledge sharing story; the knowledge being the technique used to remove toolbars.  Exciting stuff.

However think of it this way. I could have built a PowerPoint, included steps and best practices, and told you all about how to remove toolbars in five easy steps in a thirty minute presentation. Along the way you would have no doubt wanted to jump from the nearest window. However, if I tell you about the time I went over to a friend's house to help clean up the mess they made of their PC and fill you in on this sweet new program that deletes all these toolbars, you will be engaged. Knowledge sharing stories can be tailored to suit your audience but there isn't a rule that says they have to be boring.

In my line of work knowledge sharing stories are told quite a bit. I help rehabilitate disabled veterans into the workforce. These veterans may have addictions, PTSD, homelessness, or any combination of barriers preventing them from obtaining employment. There are often techniques that people in the business share with each other regarding how we coach our clients. Here is a knowledge sharing story about how I taught a client to give clear and concise answers during a job interview

Job interviews are tough for some people. There are those that tend to ramble on anytime a question is asked. It can be tough to get folks to understand how short to keep an answer. In the vocational rehabilitation world we train for 30 seconds to a minute and half depending on the question asked. It isn't a hard and fast rule but for the most part if you can't answer a simple question about your behavior in 90 seconds you are doing something incorrectly. My idea was to set an alarm on my phone using the stopwatch feature. I'd ask a question, hit the button and let the clock run to 90 seconds when an alarm would sound. After the alarm I would debrief the client on the question and try to trim the language down or eliminate unnecessary verbiage. Rinse and repeat. I shared this technique with a co-worker who had their own long-winded client they were training. We have found it to be a useful way to coach.

Knowledge sharing leads to what we call "best practices."  Often an informal body of knowledge that has helped us in our daily tasks. After some time these practices are sometimes formalized as taught techniques. All in all knowledge sharing stories are the meat and potatoes of storytelling leadership. After you motivate and inspire you need to share what you've learned. These stories allow that to occur.