Attending the iDesignX conference in Sydney on Tuesday (27 March 2018), I listened to a range of interesting presentations from experts in the learning design field. Conversations included the usual topics: blended learning, gamification, virtual reality and mobile responsiveness.
For me and (gauging by the standing room only in the packed conference room) many other delegates, one presentation stood out from the crowd – ‘Storytelling for Behavioural Change’ by Nick Petch, Lead eLearning Designer from Inspire Group.
Petch aligned the narrative of the ‘hero’s journey’ with a behavioural change model to show how the power of the story can be harnessed for learning. Why is this relevant? Because, as Petch pointed out, stories are powerful learning tools as they stay alive and are remembered.
We started with the concept of the hero’s journey based Joseph Campbell’s book ‘The Hero With a Thousand Faces’ (1949). Following on from earlier work, Campbell analysed a range of narratives such as myths and folk tales. He identified a pattern to the mythical hero’s journey that takes the hero through three identifiable stages:
- departure – occurring in the ordinary world
- initiation – occurring in the special world
- return – occurring back in the ordinary world.
The following video sums up the hero’s journey.
Petch’s presentation then introduced the four stages of behavioural change:
- contemplation – knowing what change is
- determination – believing you can change
- action – doing the thing that brings that change
- maintenance – keeping doing the thing that brings change.
Petch then overlayed this behavioural change model with the hero’s journey as shown in the following diagram.
Petch then suggested how the following characters can be used in learning content to create the motivation to change:
Petch then suggested how the following characters can be used in learning content to create the motivation to change:
| Behaviour change stage | Character | Alignment to learning |
| Contemplation – knowing what change is. | The Hero | Represents our learners and audience |
| Determination – believing you can change.
Contemplation – knowing what change is. |
The Mentor | Provides feedback, guidance, tools, job aids and links. |
| Determination – believing you can change.
Contemplation – knowing what change is. |
The Herald | Creates a call to adventure.
Delivers a compelling reason for the learner to care. |
| Determination – believing you can change.
Action – doing the thing that brings change. |
The Trickster | Challenges the status quo.
Creates metacognitive thinking and gets the learner to think about their thinking. |
| Action – doing the thing that brings change. | The Guardian | Creates the initial challenges (interactions) that happen early in the learning. |
| Contemplation – knowing what change is | The Shadow | Provides a compelling contrast to the desired performance needs.
Is especially effective if it mirrors the hero and audience in many ways. |
So the story is set, how do we keep the change going? This is where Petch argues we move from status quo 1.0 to status quo 2.0. It is here that we explore how we can maintain the changed behaviour. It is more than returning our hero back to their original environment, equipped with new skills for the future. Rather, it is ensuring that when the sequel comes out, our hero is still using those skills.
