Stories are always being told about you, whether you want them to or not. All you can do is counter it with your own story, indeed: that is your professional duty. That was the message of Marijn Molema, associate professor of regional vitality and dynamics at the University of Groningen on behalf of Planbureau Fryslân. To see the impact of these dynamics, we need look no further than the Northern Netherlands. Strolling through historical news reports, Molema noticed that these articles repeatedly reproduced each other, repeating the same story each time: "Northern Netherlands is remote, poor and deprived.
If such a story is told often enough, it automatically becomes a truth. What's more: you start believing it yourself. This also happened to the Northern Netherlands: the image of a backward region was not contested in the North, it was even fed. This is how images take hold of us. Molema was gripped by this dynamic and even wrote a book about it. A story is powerful: it gives structure to the world, it makes you empathize and remember the core message better, it can carry people along; stories add an extra layer to the ratio: that of feeling. So the trick is to harness that power, rather than having to fight against it.
But what makes a good, powerful; memorable story? There are numerous elements you could name. In the workshop, Molema challenged participants to think about that question: "a message," "surprise," "emotion," "facts"; "conviction" sounded like that from the audience. All components of a good story. Marijn Molema focused on the following four elements: time, place, struggle and emotion. He illustrated this using examples from the strong sectors of the Northern Netherlands. Indeed, as part of NOM's 50th anniversary, he and his students recently delved into the history of these sectors, each of which has its own story. This resulted in beautiful timelines and instructive longreads that offer a fresh perspective on the northern economy.
These kinds of stories are everywhere, not only in history but also in the present. You just have to recognize and harness them. By practicing telling the story of a product, entrepreneur, company, cluster or region, such stories emerge. How do those elements of time, place, struggle and emotion play a role in your story? Molema challenged participants to engage their neighbor in the room in a story. As one participant after another was inspired by their conversation partner, it became increasingly clear how the power of storytelling can be put into practice. By telling your own story about the past, you can shape the future.