Adichie's message mainly focused on listening; however, not the kind of halfway listening that we are used to; Adichie spoke about listening beyond the first listen. I think it is easy to hear, watch, or read a story and believe it without knowing that we are only hearing a single story. After listening to the single story, we begin telling the story as if it were fact. Unfortunately, sometimes there are missing pieces and the story only has one side; we then unintentionally accept that one person's narrative...therein lies the danger of stories.
What's unique about Adichie's story is the way she voiced it. As an author I am sure Adichie knows how to create stories that invite listeners to participate. For example, in crafting her TED Talk, Adichie clearly communicated her purpose and the ideas she wanted to present (p. 64); her ideas were general enough to be understood but specific enough to personally touch the listener. Additionally, Adichie engaged the listeners by telling a true story. Denning (2011) noted that a true story is something that has already occurred and something of which the veracity can be checked (p. 67); Denning (2011) also said the truth of a story can shake the skeptics out of their complacency (p. 67). For example, as I watch the audience during Adichie's talk, I saw their engagement and non-verbal agreement (shown by way of a head nod). In telling a story that was filled with purpose and authenticity, Adichie may have moved many to think beyond the single story.
Throughout her storytelling, Adichie took us on a journey of characters which included herself. Denning (2011) stated that in preparing a springboard story, one must identify the hero or heroine; the hero or heroine is not a group, team, or company but an individual (p.68). Although Denning (2011)noted that the protagonist is an individual (p.68), Adichie's stories featured more than one protagonist. However, as a skilled storyteller, Adichie creatively told stories within stories so that listeners were able to focus on one hero/heroine at a time. In her approach to narrative, Adichie's protagonists were very much like the audience members; her story characters' humanity enabled listeners to experience a sense of connectivity; the audience was able to identify with the hero and heroine of her story (Denning, 2011, p. 69).
I found Adichie's story powerful in that she not only focused on her flawed thinking about one-story listening but she issued a challenge to herself and listeners to consider listening beyond the single story. Adichie's extended her story so that it fully embodied the entire change idea; as a result the audience was able to embrace the larger idea in their narrative imagination (Denning, 2011, p. 71).
Denning, S.
(2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline
of Business Narrative. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
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