The Single Story

Adichie (2009) profound statement was “ the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is that there are not untrue, but they are incomplete”. “ They make the one story become the only story” (12:50-13:22). I learned in this module according to Denning (2011), negative stories get people’s attention but they don’t spark action (p. 77). They action comes from a positive story that shows the way forward (Denning, 2011, p. 77). I feel listening to Adichie I was able to get her complete story, even though, I believe if every interaction with someone is structure they way Adichie gave her story, we wouldn’t have a problem with the danger of a single story. Timing gets the best of us, when we could have only a brief moment to convey our point of view for another to digest and understand completely. However, inspired by Adichie's presentation to make emotional connections with her story inspired me to look for the elements of springboard story. For one the protagonist is her growing up and experiences with those misunderstanding her culture. Her story inspired imagination from the audience of a time assumptions were made verbally or non-verbally that require correction.

Adichie made reference to misunderstanding of Africa as a country on a recent flight, a statement that requires the audience to fully embody the idea, as Denning (2011) proposed get the audience to embrace the larger idea in their narrative imagination (p. 68). For me it was not just the misunderstanding of the word country but also understanding the opposing view, in order words, why is there a single story? Adichie explained the alternative as if she grew up in the USA, witnessing the images of African animals, people, and environment, she could see the reason for the single story rooted deep in western history. 

Adichie stories were minimal. Denning (2011) stated what makes the minimalist story so powerful is that it resolves a fundamental paradox of transformation (p. 71). Adichie transformation was personal recognizing she too bought into the single story as visiting Mexico and viewing Mexicans as immigrants. A little vulnerability is necessary in storytelling as Denning (2011) wrote participants must undergo a kind of identity transition, and the transformations must proceed with some central direction, ultimately individuals must make this decision for themselves (p. 71). 

Adichie (2009) discusses power; “stories are defined by how the are told, who tells them, how many are told, really depend on power “(9:50). Contextual meaning of a story can depend on the start of the story. Adichie explains that an audience member thought of all Nigerian men as presented by a character in her novel and she replied with the depiction of the American Psycho, in a bit of mild humor. Adichie then discusses she had a happy childhood, however there were negative ones such as death in the family, rising cause of groceries, but to focus on the negative overlooks the other stories. This reminded me that negative stories alone may depict a single view. If we all possessed the same life experiences, doing that would simply be a matter of choosing the right words based on our own perspective (Garside & Kleiner,1991, p. 25). Adichie (2009) expressed “the consequence of the single story is this, it robs people of their dignity, it makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult, and it emphasis how we are different rather than how we are similar” (13:49-14:03).

Adichie ends with stories matter, negative and positive to empower and repair dignity. Engaging in story telling, I want to show how my self was formed overtime as discussed by Whalen & Ricca (2007), the brain is essentially blank at birth (p. 34). In the progress of reading another self help book, I found the author, a clinical therapist, Jay (2012) express the same sentiments of the brain. In the first 18 months of life the brain experience its first growth spurt, producing far more neurons then it can use (Jay, 2012, p.123). The infant brain over prepares reading itself for whatever life bring such as to speak any language within earshot (Jay, 2012, p.123). This is how we go from one year olds who understand fewer than 100 words being six years old who know more than ten thousand (Jay, 2012, p. 123). Across years, the brain keeps the neurons and connections that are used while these that are neglected are pruned or allowed to die off (Jay, 2012, p.123).

The only way your mind can connect with the world is through sensory organs (Whalen & Ricca, 2007, p. 36). I want to learn how to to be an effective storyteller including a bit of sensory memory in stories and professional emotion management to not incite fear. Effective storytellers are confident much like Adichie describing the ramifications of the single story. I have to be an active listener assessing my listening blocks and listen with openness first to the message I’m trying to convey for the audience to listen. I want the audience to remember parts of the story that are enthusiastic and encourage change. I learned from this module ways to minimize my stories to create impact, how it could be persuasive (example of the single story), and the importance of sensory messages. 

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Garside, S. G., & Kleiner, B. H. (1991). Effective one-to-one communication skills. Industrial and Commercial Training, 23(7), 24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/214110116?accountid=27203

Jay, M. (2012). The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties matter and How to Make the most of them now. New York: Twelve.

TEDTalks: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie--The danger of a single story[Motion picture on Online Video]. (2009). TED.

Whalen, D. J., & Ricca, T. M. (2007). The professional communications toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.