Soft skills, stories, and self-reflection: Applied digital storytelling for self-branding

Abstract

This paper documents an analytical autoethnographic approach to the development of a digital storytelling (DST) app for enhancing young adults’ employability prospects. Development is rooted in the classical DST approach proposed by StoryCenter Founding Director Joe Lambert. Blending theoretical consideration and empirical user testing (individual user observations and a co-creation workshops), we affirm the value of DST – and classical DST especially – for facilitating critical self-reflection and self-branding. By structuring discussion using Lambert’s seven steps of classical DST, we highlight how particular design decisions have promoted enjoyable and effective storytelling, recognizing both user preference and empirically demonstrated usage. This paper is the result of a positive interdisciplinary academic-industrial partnership.

“Map ourselves through Digital Storytelling”: Pedagogical tool in the development of self-knowledge skills on Advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nursing

“…Similarly to previous research, the DST tool was highly valued by the participants (Henrickson et al, 2022). However, participants considered that more time was needed to deepen and improve this methodology in the resource production phase, in order to fill small gaps that were detected.…”

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“…Adicionalmente, el storytelling puede contribuir al desarrollo de habilidades interpersonales fundamentales para los profesionales sanitarios como el trabajo en equipo, la defensa de puntos de vista y la escucha atenta. De esta forma, además de aprender nuevos conocimientos desde una postura activa y emancipadora, pueden también desarrollar valores y habilidades relacionales que serán ampliamente implementados durante su vida profesional (Henrickson et al, 2022). Esto es particularmente positivo cuando se piensa en la extensión universitaria o en las actividades extramuros, ya que también son oportunidades de aprendizaje, como se ve en un estudio británico con estudiantes universitarios de odontología.…”

“…Cabe destacar a la Enfermería como una profesión esencialmente práctica, que se imparte a través del contacto presencial entre docentes, estudiantes y usuarios del sistema de salud, por lo que el storytelling puede facilitar la identificación de obstáculos y oportunidades que podrían impactar al estudiante-paciente durante la enseñanza práctica (Timpani et al, 2021). Permitir que este aprendizaje se lleve a cabo a través de una estrategia dinámica y significativa es un desafío para docentes y estudiantes, en términos de identificar su potencial y limitaciones como metodología activa (Henrickson et al, 2022).…”

What Digital Storytelling Means to the New Generation of Researchers

“…Thus proving to be a successful method of giving voice to marginalized communities (de Jager et al 2017), the democratization of the storytelling process and the opportunity for people to reclaim their own stories is a core component of the method (Lambert and Hessler 2018). In the StoryCenter process, or what may be considered 'classical DST' (Henrickson et al 2022), storytellers will often use a mix of media including their own footage, stock images, and text to visually support their narration. In this way, they are constrained by what can be captured realistically or by what footage is available to them at the time.…”