Episodic Story Telling Pivotal in Understanding Community Needs
Episodic storytelling pivotal in understanding community needs
Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.African Saying
Preliminary quantitative findings in relation to water demands in a remote village triggered interest in a more in-depth assessment
The approach was that 12 individuals drawn from the quantitative survey told episodic stories about various water points to two moderators as they walked through the community. The moderators then recited their findings to a local artist for illustration. The drawing were then validated through a focus group.
Key insights
Finding 1 Their need for water was along a supply system similar to what they saw in modern cities | Finding 2 Healthy water was associated with a strong chlorine taste |
Finding 3 Water access was somehow secondary to the infrequent cattle rustling episodes | Finding 4 Management of community assets were characterized by wrangling among committee members |
Lessons learnt
- Stories with antagonists seemed to be livelier and with more depth
- Think of suitable story triggers, as often respondents might feel they have no story
- The use of moderators slightly removed from the local culture kept the story flowing
- Observing the community as stories flow greatly helps in contextualisation
- Though stories capture past events, analysable hopes, desires and aspirations are often mentioned
Overall
Episodic stories are unique in their exaggerations, emotions, intrinsic intentions and desires that provide richness of data It might not work in all scenarios/behaviors but it provides richer insights for mundane social activities
