Stories are vitally important in times of change – they bring a sense of meaning and purpose to the human experience. Stories contain elements that enable us to 'travel forward in hope', even if we don't like our fellow travellers. Clearly managing the story of 'what is going on' is vitally important in situations of conflict and change. This is because people resort to violence and brutality when the story collapses. In change and transformation management, the work of the storyteller may include:

• Accessing the conversations that are occurring in the situation. Experience has shown that this role is best accomplished by an ‘outsider’ who does not have a particular affiliation to any party to the conflict.

• Helping to understanding the possible impact of these stories in the situation - especially if they evoke emotional responses or build 'vicious' or 'virtuous' cycles
• Creating a story – either factual or allegorical. Allegorical refers to the representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form)
• Asking key questions like 'how would you like it to be?'
• Telling / reflecting a story and making adjustments as a result of listening to feedback
• Identifying and reinforcing the useful stories that support a sense of mission, vision, values and purpose through conscious, on-going telling and mutation of the story.

Content provided by storytelling.co.za Storytelling Website