When I was a student at Adelaide University, I loved the library. It was a big, modern library with the old part, still intact; a beautiful large, ornate hall surrounded by books on the outer edge of shelves and row upon row of old wooden desks.
I loved that library because I’d go in there, sit down and in less than two or three minutes I’d be fast asleep.
Now, I can attest that unconscious transference of knowledge from library books into a sleeping brain doesn’t happen. I can assure you of that, but I used to have a great time falling asleep, nonetheless.
The feeling of sitting there in the library, just before I went to sleep, was very similar to sitting in the lecture theatre. I mean, one, I was sitting, but two someone was talking, talking, talking at me. It was so soporific! The lecture format didn’t work for me and regularly led to more glorious sleep.
A few lectures were brilliant. They’d bring in story and performance, but most would just lecture at you. Like they had a right to be excruciatingly boring and torture you with endless facts and figures. It felt as though you were trapped there. The lecture format itself was as boring as all hell, and the elephant in the room was the format, the lecture format of being talked to. I suppose that is why we have phrases like, “Don’t lecture me!’ or “Oh no, not another lecture!”
Now a story format, of course, is very different from the lecture format, because in a story there is more than one voice, more than one character. There are two, three or more characters, all talking to each other and you in the audience, are listening in. Not Listening to, like in a lecture.
The realm of storytelling provides this opportunity for listening in, that can enhance depth and richness. Listening in involves paying close attention to the subtle nuances, the unspoken words, and the underlying emotions that permeate a story. It’s about becoming a keen observer, noticing the details that might otherwise escape notice, and understanding the unspoken narratives that exist beneath the surface.
That is why italk Studios transform information into story. Listening in makes the story more immersive and engaging, as we empathise and feel part of the world being created and importantly remember the story and knowledge it contains. I suppose that is why I have never heard anyone say “Oh no, not another story!”
I invite you to have a look at and listen in to any italk story that may transport you to different realms and ignite your imagination!
Best,
Christopher
Director, italk Studios