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Section 4 Techniques and Tools

4.13 Using stories

The use of stories is a valuable approach to incorporating user or staff perspectives into the evaluation of services. They can be conducted on an individual or group basis.

Stories can challenge perceptions, provide new insights and help to shape deeper understanding of how service delivery is experienced by users and staff; in particular they can highlight issues around partnership working by illustrating how complex, cross-cutting services work in practice. They can provide strong motivating energy for change and reinforce the value given to the perspectives of the story tellers. The use of stories has many applications for social housing organisations and can be adapted to suit the particular context and to involve varying degrees of participation in the method; see for example storydialogue.

Think about the purpose of the stories

Using stories for research and consultation purposes differs from more familiar use of stories in everyday life. Stories are often dismissed as anecdotes, but this is a mistake as they provide valuable information about particular experience which would be overlooked in quantitative approaches. To ensure this, the approach should be more systematic and rigorous and used within an understanding of the overall intention or purpose for which the story is told. This will shape the process of data collection, analysis and the dissemination of the stories. Different stories are likely to emerge for different purposes. It may be appropriate to provide some structure for story tellers though issuing guidelines for stories or alternatively to be more open to whatever issues are important to the story tellers themselves.

The use of stories is a more human approach for any group of service users who may find that the use of surveys for example does not do justice to their experience. Stories may be a particularly useful approach with those who have difficulty with literacy, ability to read in English, sight or hearing problems. However, they can be used with any group of service users.

Stories may sometimes be used as a supplement to other approaches and may provide some ‘colour’ to reports largely based on quantitative data. This is a legitimate approach, but for some issues stories can be used as the main data collection method and can be analysed to provide rich insights and understandings. Stories may also be used in the dissemination process to get across the main issues from any research or consultation exercise to different audiences.

The purpose will influence the sampling procedures used. As in other qualitative approaches, sampling is more likely to be non-random and based on the selection of those who can provide valuable information on the issues of importance. The story tellers will be selected on the basis that they have experience which can be used to shed light on the issues.

Practice point

• Be clear about the purpose of the exercise and the intention with which the stories are gathered in order to ensure that the process is systematic, rigorous and conducted with due care and attention to the welfare of the story tellers.

Analysis of stories

Stories can be used to simply provide case examples of experience on an individual basis, as in the South Lanarkshire example. The analysis of that experience was essentially undertaken through the conference discussion. However, stories could be analysed in a similar way to in-depth interview data. Where stories have been gathered on a group basis there is the advantage that they can be analysed collectively too and the interpretation and validation processes undertaken by the group. Participatory methods such as Photovoice and Storydialogue lend themselves well to this process.

Visual and other arts based methods are good triggers for stories and can also be used to present stories. For example, individual stories may be incorporated anonymously into a play. The use of video and DVD technology provides lots of opportunities to record and report this kind of material.

Using stories: checklist

√ Be clear about the purpose of collecting and analysing stories.

√ Consider the value of individual or group approaches and the degree of participation that can be incorporated into the process.

√ Be clear with all relevant parties about expectations of what the process can achieve and be prepared to be challenged.

√ Consider whether the brief should explicitly ask for stories where things have worked well, as well as more difficult issues.

√ Select people with the appropriate experience and ensure they understand how the stories are to be used.

√ Produce guidance for the process, detailing any prompts or guidelines for stories, including length, anonymity and other safeguards.

√ Use story facilitators if appropriate; this may depend on the sensitivities of the topic and the individuals and agencies involved.

√ Agree any appropriate support needs.

√ Consider how best to present the outcomes of the process.

√ Consider whether and how to actively engage the story tellers in the dissemination process.

√ Build on the momentum generated by the process to develop and implement action plans.

Alternatives and related approaches to using stories

• Storydialogue

• System mapping

• Significant event analysis

• Using comments, compliments and complaints as feedback

• Photovoice

• Qualitative in-depth interviews

• Participatory appraisal

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