Science tells us that human beings make sense of the world through stories. People need to see, understand and feel moved to take action. Scientific endeavors that require action from all citizens—such as marine conservation—benefit greatly from storytelling, as this type of communication has a distinct ability to move listeners to action.
The Story Collider is an organization that equips scientists—a group not traditionally trained to use storytelling techniques—with the tools they need to make their work understandable to a non-scientific audience. This unique organization is led by a team that blends expertise from across the performing arts and science.
The Tiffany & Co. Foundation is supporting The Story Collider to bring its storytelling workshops to marine scientists and then share their stories with diverse audiences. The multi-day workshops are designed to introduce participants to proven storytelling techniques, help them identify and hone different story ideas and share these narratives in front of a live audience.
In November 2017, The Story Collider held its first Ocean Storytelling workshop in Washington, DC. Experts from several organizations working in marine conservation came together to learn how to craft engaging narratives about their work. The experience concluded with a live show recorded in front of an audience, where a few of the workshop participants took the stage.
You can listen to two of these inspiring performances below.
Listen to Madhavi Colton of Coral Reef Alliance
Listen to Karen Sack of Ocean Unite