The development of story is a critical element of creating a narrative that captivates and sustains audience engagement. A story is a sequence of events that is structured and ordered in a way that carries the reader along, revealing character development, conflict and resolution.
Storytelling is the most ancient form of human communication. It has been shown to be an effective tool for teaching and learning because it captivates the audience and evokes emotions that help them to retain the information.
Stories are also a great way to expose students to new vocabulary in a context that is both meaningful and memorable. The use of storytelling in simulations is especially powerful because it provides an opportunity for students to be immersed in a narrative that is both familiar (running a startup) and unfamiliar (competing to save the planet). It is this experience, and the ability to connect with the underlying concepts, that drives student engagement and learning.
It is important to understand the intended audience in order to develop a story that will resonate with them. Be wary of including details that are not relevant to the key points you wish to convey; a human’s attention span is less than 10 seconds, so it’s critical to keep the story concise and focused.
Developing a story is an ongoing process that begins with the selection of an idea and ends with a complete draft. Some writers choose to begin writing right away, a style known as the “pantser” method, while others prefer to lay out the structure of their story before beginning to write, a process called the “architect” method. Both methods have their merits and neither is necessarily wrong, so it’s important to find a process that works best for you.