A transformational story comes in 3 acts:
- The first act describes the problem and how that makes the main character feel. In the story I shared last Modletter, my problem was overcoming the fear of making a mistake as a classroom trainer.
- The second act describes the steps taken to solve the problem. In the story in this lesson, several steps were mentioned, including learning to troubleshoot the preparation process, learning to work with my inner critic, and thus approaching the classroom situation with greater confidence and less fear.
- The third act describes the situation after the problem is solved and how that makes the main character feel. In my story I discovered the satisfaction of writing and this helped me become a successful instructional designer. Designing my own programmes helped me conquer the fear of making mistakes or “drying up” when in a classroom situation.
As eLearning writers, we don’t just write stories to entertain our learners. We want to show them that change is possible. By following our teaching, our learners can improve their performance and their lives. Transformation stories add credibility to this message of change by demonstrating how others have changed their lives.