Traditional stories have been used to carry important knowledge across generations. Ask a local, an elder or any relevant stakeholder to tell you a story related to the context of your challenge.

 

> Make sure you have consent for audio recording, photographs and for this story to be re-shared. Consider doing none of these. 

 

 

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1. Make sure that you approach a person that you know personally, or that has been introduced to you appropriately. If you are talking to a person outside your cultural background, make sure you approach that person respectfully following adequate cultural practices. 

 

 

2. Ask them to tell you a story, you can follow these questions or adapt them as necessary to keep the conversation flowing naturally.

 

- Can you think of an old story that was told to you by someone you appreciate?

- I /we would love to hear this story. Could you please share it with me/us?

- Who told you this story? How did you learn it?

- Why do you remember this story in particular?

- What is the message of the story in short?

- What have you personally learned from this story?

- Whom do you think should hear this story?

- Can you think of a name or a title for this story?

- Ask any other spontaneous, respectful, candid question.

- Thank you. I highly appreciate that you have shared your knowledge with me/us.

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3. After hearing the story, think about what you have learned. Make a sketch related to the story.

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4. Alone or with your team, unpack this story, try to understand deeper meanings and learnings, write down your key insights. 

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