The narrative structure of design
I don't know if any of you have been watching Robert Winston's "Child of our time" programme on BBC1 but it has been fascinating. The final programme was all about the various strategies that the human brain employs in order to give and receive information (communication). It turns out that one of the most useful strategies for communication and memory is the creation of a narrative.
The most impressive demonstration of the power of narrative was the guy who memorised a random arrangement of 3,000 binary digits (ones and zeros). He was given 30 minutes to set it to memory and then he recited the entire sequence back perfectly. His technique was to build a story around the sequence.
It turns out that narrative is also incredibly useful when it comes to oral communication. If you want people to listen to you and understand what you are saying, you must deliver your communication as a story. This strikes a chord with me because I often listen to students describing their own work and feeling as though I'm being sprayed with ideas with a scatter gun. Please give me structure! At least give the a chance of understanding what you are saying!
As those of you who have worked on my design projects will know, I am very keen on narrative. I think students of design always have two stories to tell. The first is the story of the design result - the "product". If you have designed a landscape masterplan, you need to explain how it works - that's one story. The second story and the one that is often missed is the story of the design - the "process". For me, this is at least as important as the first story. As a design tutor, I can only fully appreciate the merits of a design solution if I understand the process.
Take a look at the programme page for more details and while you're at it, try the creativity test. I scored 73.47 but I reckon you can probably beat that.
Do yourself a favour, start telling stories.
The most impressive demonstration of the power of narrative was the guy who memorised a random arrangement of 3,000 binary digits (ones and zeros). He was given 30 minutes to set it to memory and then he recited the entire sequence back perfectly. His technique was to build a story around the sequence.
It turns out that narrative is also incredibly useful when it comes to oral communication. If you want people to listen to you and understand what you are saying, you must deliver your communication as a story. This strikes a chord with me because I often listen to students describing their own work and feeling as though I'm being sprayed with ideas with a scatter gun. Please give me structure! At least give the a chance of understanding what you are saying!
As those of you who have worked on my design projects will know, I am very keen on narrative. I think students of design always have two stories to tell. The first is the story of the design result - the "product". If you have designed a landscape masterplan, you need to explain how it works - that's one story. The second story and the one that is often missed is the story of the design - the "process". For me, this is at least as important as the first story. As a design tutor, I can only fully appreciate the merits of a design solution if I understand the process.
Take a look at the programme page for more details and while you're at it, try the creativity test. I scored 73.47 but I reckon you can probably beat that.
Do yourself a favour, start telling stories.
Comments
Hope its not to much trouble