Storytelling Methodologies

Storytelling methodologies are processes used to gather information in the form of a story [1]. Storytelling as a method is especially useful to gather information about

• a person's individual lived experience.

• a sequence of events.

• a specific time or place.

Storytelling methodologies are used to create content for stories reported on the news, in documentaries, creative non-fiction, podcasts, and other forms of digital storytelling. In academia, storytelling methodologies are used in research to generate data for qualitative analysis. For technical communicators, storytelling can be a powerful tool to explain or persuade. In the same vein, technical communicators can use storytelling methodologies to gather information that will help them better inform their work. Storytelling methodologies could be useful in many professional scenarios. For example, storytelling methodologies could be used:

• To learn more about a common problem facing consumers to develop a solution.

• To gather information about the local impacts of a natural disaster to deliver appropriate aid.

• To seek feedback about a community development project so that local interests can be included in planning decisions.

• To gather evidence to support a class action lawsuit.

• To produce an oral history that sheds light on a historical event.

Generally, storytelling methodologies involve a conversation between a subject and an interviewer. However, journals or social media posts written by the subject are also used.

Narrative Inquiry Interviews

Narrative inquiry interviews are conducted to encourage the subject to tell a story. Journalists and historians use narrative inquiry interviews to gather information about events in a given time and place. Often, the goal of a narrative inquiry interview is to draw out a story about a particular topic. Generally, narrative inquiry interviews are conducted by asking a broad, open-ended questions, followed by more specific questions to draw out details [1].

Narrative inquiry interviews are used to interview artists, politicians, and other experts. In a narrative inquiry interview of an author of a book, for example, the interviewer could ask questions that encourage the author to tell the story of how the book was written. A common question asked in narrative inquiry interviews of politicians is "why do you want to run for office?"

Narrative inquiry interviews are also used to gather situated knowledge from individuals who are not typically viewed as experts [2]. Situated knowledge is knowledge gained from individual lived experience. For example, a resident of a rural town has situated knowledge of the place they live. Likewise, a person who experiences a natural disaster has specific situated knowledge of the natural disaster. For instance, such a person would have detailed knowledge of the impact that disaster had on their local community.

Walk-along Interviews

Walk-along interviews, sometimes called "go-along interviews" or "walking interviews", is a storytelling methodology used when geographical place is of particular importance. In a walk-along interview, the interviewer walks with the subject while asking questions about their surroundings. Walk-along interviews can take place in a subject's home, neighborhood, workplace, or another setting of importance. The purpose of the interview is to create stories that help improve understanding of the subject's local context.

When geographic place is important, walk-along interviews may be preferred to sedentary interviews. Research shows that the content generated in walk-along interviews is "profoundly informed by the landscape in which they take place" [3].

Walk-along interviews have been used in public health research [4], ethnography [5], and environmental risk research [2]. Walk-along interviews could be useful to a technical communicator to:

• Gather information about the physical and spatial challenges a factory worker faces doing their job to make improvements.

• Understand the environmental impact of an energy development project from locals who live near energy infrastructure.

• Document recent changes to a rapidly developing neighborhood by interviewing residents.

Photo Elicitation

Photo elicitation is a storytelling methodology that uses pictures (often photographs but sometimes video and visual art are used) to help tell a story [6]. Pictures can be provided by the subject or by the interviewer. Photo elicitation is often subject-led. In these cases, the subject assembles a collection of photographs and uses them as reference material to tell a story. These photographs can be historical, previously captured images, or new photos taken by the subject.

Similar to walk-along interviews, photo elicitation can be used to gather information about specific geographic places. Photo elicitation can also generate narratives about historical events, as photos can aid the participant access long-term memories.

Photo elicitation can take many forms:

• Reviewing a high school yearbook to guide a narrative inquiry interview about a subject's adolescence.

• Using photographs the subject took of their neighborhood to document how the neighborhood had changed over time.

• Showing subjects pictures of landscapes to assess their relationship to the natural and built environment.

See Also

• Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact by Sarah J. Tracy. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. 2013.

References

1. Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative Research Methods: Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/psu/detail.action?docID=1120701

2. Carlson, E. B., & Caretta, M. A. (2021). Legitimizing Situated Knowledge in Rural Communities Through Storytelling Around Gas Pipelines and Environmental Risk. Technical Communication, 68(4), 40–55.

3. Evans, J., & Jones, P. (2011). The walking interview: Methodology, mobility and place. Applied Geography, 31(2), 849–858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2010.09.005

4. Carpiano, R. M. (2009). Come take a walk with me: The “Go-Along” interview as a novel method for studying the implications of place for health and well-being. Health & Place, 15(1), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2008.05.003

5. Kusenbach, M. (2003). Street Phenomenology: The Go-Along as Ethnographic Research Tool. Ethnography, 4(3), 455–485. https://doi.org/10.1177/146613810343007

6. Bignante, E. (2010). The use of photo-elicitation in field research. EchoGéo, 11, Article 11. https://doi.org/10.4000/echogeo.11622

7. Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, methodology, and use for participatory needs assessment. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 24(3), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019819702400309

8. Sullivan, P. (2017). Participating With Pictures: Promises and Challenges of Using Images as a Technique in Technical Communication Research. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 47(1), 86–108. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047281616641930

Last updated by Weston Anderson on November 6th, 2022.