Speaker presents research on story circles

The importance of human connection crosses over borders, according to a study conducted by author and researcher Darla Deardorff. As a part of the Ralph Gross Global Lecture series, Deardorff presented her study on Monday night.

This lecture series is a long-standing university tradition, with the Gross family and President Brian Bruess in attendance. Due to severe winter weather, Deardorff ’s flight was cancelled on short notice, and the talk was held over Zoom. Deardorff is collaborating with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) worldwide to further intercultural competence in today’s young adults, who faced the isolation of the pandemic upon coming of legal age. She defines intercultural competence as “effective and appropriate behavior and communication across our differences.”

While describing her reasons for the study, she said, “it’s far too easy to stay in our comfort zones.” The study examines which traits are necessary to promote harmony in today’s turbulent society. Deardorff broke these traits down into three crucial categories: attitudes, knowledge and active skills. First, there must be respect, openness and curiosity present in our attitudes. Next, we must be knowledgeable in cultural awareness. Lastly, we must practice skills such as active listening and understanding.

CSB junior Elise Sande reflects on these traits from her time spent on a study abroad trip.

“[When making connections with other people], there’s a huge difference [between] listening to understand versus listening to respond,” she said.

Now returned from Mexico, Sande is glad to see this reinforced back on campus. To develop these key strategies, Deardorff investigated tactics harkening back to ancient times, when oral tradition dominated interpersonal connection. This study introduced the old to the new. Participants of the study engaged in story circles, where a group shared stories for 90 minutes. During this time, they were instructed to ask three questions. The first was simply “Who are you?,” in which participants gave three short descriptions of their personality. The second question asked each person about a time in which they had a memorable experience with someone different from them and what they learned. The final question asked participants to ask about each others’ stories to facilitate active listening within the group.

The study showed that story circles were quite adaptable, with only one of them performed in a formal learning setting, though every trial was tested in varying group sizes in different regions of the world. This study has been run in five different countries (Zimbabwe, Thailand, Tunisia, Costa Rica and Austria) and showed success in every single one. CSB junior Olivia Aman remarks on the accomplishments of the study and her biggest takeaway.

“I think the idea of people sitting in a circle together is really beneficial. It shows the connections we can make face to face,” Aman said.

With such promising results, Deardorff intends to expand this practice worldwide with UNESCO and expressed hope for a collaborative young society in the future.

“What if we viewed ourselves through the lens of ‘we’ instead of ‘me?’” she said.