Competence Matrix of a
Storytelling Curator
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects
the views only of the Sory Regions consortium, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for
any use which may be made of the information therein.
1
Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3
2. What is a competence? .................................................................................................... 4
3. The professional field of a storytelling curator - description of what a storytelling curator
is and does ............................................................................................................................... 5
4. Competences of a storytelling curator .............................................................................. 5
4.1
Core competences of a Storytelling Curator in detail ................................................ 7
4.1.1 Knowledge of Storytelling/Being a storytelling expert ............................................. 7
4.1.2 Personal delivery, training, facilitation ..................................................................... 8
4.1.3 Communication ....................................................................................................... 8
4.1.4 Being a motivator .................................................................................................... 9
4.1.5 Cultural awareness ( ............................................................................................... 9
4.1.5 Creativity/Improvisation ........................................................................................... 9
4.1.6 Insight into regional social structures and institutions ............................................. 9
4.2
Generic competences of Storytelling Curators in detail ........................................... 10
4.2.1 Networking ............................................................................................................ 10
4.2.2 Negotiation ............................................................................................................ 10
4.2.3 Sense of initiative/entrepreneurial spirit ................................................................ 10
4.2.4 Promotion & fundraising ........................................................................................ 11
4.2.5 Planning and organising storytelling events .......................................................... 11
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Anders Karlsson 2016-12-13 09:57
Borttagen: 8
Anders Karlsson 2016-12-13 09:57
Borttagen: 10
1.
Introduction
Storytelling is an ancient cultural practice of all cultures across the globe. With the rise of
modern media the formerly “normal” coming together to tell and hear stories, to discuss and
exchange, has successively vanished and was replaced by technologies taking over this
function, namely radio, cinema and television. Stories were now told through machines. With
the progression of the individualistic society the direct interaction between humans when
telling stories or listening to each other has come to focus again.
Content, language and performance turn stories into genuine products of the culture they are
based in. A revitalisation of storytelling can help people and communities to regain a link with
their own heritage and identity and provides them with an instrument to better understand
each other.
In Europe inclusion is a growing issue and communication a more than ever needed key
competence. Oral storytelling as an educational and cultural practice can contribute to a
number of solutions for these problems. Narrative is known to be a fundamental structure of
human meaning making. Identity formation and personal development can be understood in
terms of narrative structure and processes as well.
The concept of ‘learning regions’ indicates that effective learning also takes place in a
societal context and that in a community there are many more organisations (other than
schools and colleges) offering (non-formal) learning. Storytelling has the power to generate
communication and 'belonging', because it bundles interactive, social, heritage, identity
building, cultural and multicultural aspects. Storytelling offers a common approach to learning
that transcends the formal and non-formal education sectors and the socio-cultural sectors.
Storytelling is extremely well fit to lower the threshold for participation and learning and to
create innovative and attractive pathways to the development of key competences: literacy,
foreign languages, cultural awareness, civic and entrepreneurial competences.
But what does it take to revitalise and promote storytelling in our communities and regional
environments? Though still stories are essential part of our lives and most of the time stories
are told in a completely non-formal way, without being aware of it, it requires certain
competences to introduce the concept, show its potential and to involve people in storytelling
activities.
Asus 2016-5-30 11:29
Borttagen: need
The Region of Västerbotten is a pioneer in this regard. Since 2007 a so called Storytelling
Curator was nominated to care for the promotion of storytelling in the region by involving
actors from different fields and organising various events and activities within the Region.
The project Story Regions follows has been inspired by this approach, and this competence
profile of a Storytelling Curator aims to support other institutions to follow and also develop
the example of Västerbotten.
Until today there are no formal vocational offers to educate storytellers, those intermediates
between the art of storytelling and its everyday application within society. The work of a
storytelling curator is thus more or less undefined and highly informal. We understand this
3
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:02
Formaterat: Genomstruken
Asus 2016-5-30 11:31
Kommentar [1]: We should describe the process
to come to this competence profile. What have we
done? Not only the curator of Västerbotton. It would
mean we only copied the concept.
role as regional coordinator for promoting and supporting storytelling community projects.
This competence framework is mainly intended for those who want to promote storytelling in
their own environment, on their own or in a team. It shall give a comprehensive overview of
the working field of a storytelling curator and what competences are needed to fulfill this role.
The competence fields identified not necessarily need to be united within one person, but
may also serve as guidance when composing a team according to the individual’s strengths.
2. What is a competence?
In order to become competent an individual needs to acquire a particular combination of
knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) which are required to perform in the specified range of
contexts. The specifications of a competence determine which KSA are relevant and
required.
Competences as defined by European bodies, as well as by educational experts throughout
and beyond Europe, consist of three interrelated ingredients:
•
a knowledge component (the understanding part),
•
a behavioural components (the overt behavioural repertoire) and
•
a value component (including values, beliefs and attitudes).
Competences consist of a combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours
required for effective performance of a real-world task or activity. A competence is defined as
the holistic synthesis of these components. At another level a competence again may be
divided in three components or aspects. It is the ability of a person to show:
•
a particular behaviour in
•
a particular context and with
•
a particular quality.
This is the formal way of describing competences. In more down to earth language this
implies that what matters is not only what we know about things, but more important is what
we are able to do with this knowledge, and whether we are able to go on developing our
abilities. Does education make curators knowledgeable, or does it make them competent,
that is the question. (van Lakerveld 2014)
With the definition of competence in mind we made an inventory of the competences a
Storytelling Curator would need to have. The elaboration of these competences is made
according to the competence model described above.
It includes the knowledge, the attitudes and the skills required and the actions that the
Storytelling Curator will have to show in a variety of contexts and with a particular quality.
The competence definition mentioned above serves as the basis for the elaborations below.
The focus is on the competences crucial for promoting storytelling and for organising
storytelling acitivites which we call core competences. These are added to by the so called
4
generic competences.
According to this definition, 'competence' is a holistic concept that comprises anything within
a person which is needed to perform under real world conditions, i.e. to effectively achieve a
task at an appropriate level of quality. Most importantly it does not simply refer to 'a particular
context', but to 'a range of real world contexts'. Quality can only be indicated in relative terms
such as 'adequacy' or 'appropriateness'. In practice, it often depends on the particular
situation which quality level is appropriate or not. (Lehnes 2015)
Consequently, in order to specify a particular competence for an individual in practice the
competence framework at hand needs to be further elaborated by describing the real world
contexts in which the competences need to be applied and which quality is considered
adequate. :
3. The professional field of a storytelling curator - description of what a
storytelling curator is and does
At present Europe has only one “Storytelling Curator”, at least in this explicity, meaning
someone whose role has been given this name. The title is held by Marianne Folkedotter,
who works at the regional museum in Västerbotten in the North of Sweden. The appreciation
for Storytelling has tradition in Västerbotten and at one point the region has decided to make
this part of their regional branding. Since 2006 Västerbotten promotes itself as “Västerbotten
– the region of storytelling”. Employing a Storytelling Curator at their regional museum can
be seen as part of this strategy.
Interviews with Marianne Folkedotter and other professional storytellers and storytelling
facilitators, who are also involved in community projects, were the starting point to work out
this competence profile. Among them were Mia Verbeelen, who has been elected Storytelling
Ambassador of Flanders 2015 by the Network of Flemish and Dutch Storytellers. Both,
Marianne Folkedotter and Mia Verbeelen have the task to promote storytelling and to initiate
and support storytelling initiatives and activities in their environments. Also Jan Blake, a
professional storyteller from the UK, has shared her experience in organising and carrying
out numerous storytelling projects with the Story Regions partners. Apart from these
interviews we have made a survey with stakeholders and asked for there needs of a “curator”
promoting stgorytelling.
In the interviews it was asked which competences they consider relevant and which of those
are most relevant in order to be able to successfully promote and implement storytelling and
a storytelling culture within a community and across institutional boundaries.
4. Competences of a storytelling curator
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:04
Borttagen: Mariann
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:04
Borttagen: municipal
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:04
Borttagen: the Region of
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:04
Borttagen: t
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:05
Borttagen: 200x
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:05
Borttagen: Mariann
Asus 2016-5-30 11:39
Kommentar [2]: Shouldn’t we give some
examples of their work and activities?
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:06
Borttagen: Mariann
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:06
Borttagen: Verbelen
Asus 2016-5-30 11:37
Kommentar [3]: How many did we interview?
Like this it seems we only spoke to three people. We
should show a ‚broader basis‘.
jbusche 2016-4-11 11:11
Areas of competences, which are relevant for the professional field of a Storytelling curator
as a whole (covering all positions related to curate storytelling in a community) are described
below. Within these areas we distinguish “core storytelling curator’s competences” and
5
Kommentar [4]: I know we said in Alden Biesen
that the competence list shouldn’t be too long, but
for this generic profile the list should cover all
relevant aspects.
Open to discuss is which belong to the specific and
which are rather generic competences.
additional generic competences which, however, are also crucial for the ability to
successfully curate storytelling activities within a community.1
Obviously there are variations in the task profiles according to priorities in different
communities and social contexts, depending on objectives and persons involved, cultural
preconditions (e.g. status and recognition of storytelling in a culture) and other factors that
make each context unique. The competence descriptions at hand thus need to be rated and
further specified according to the real world expectations and contexts a storytelling curator
is to work in.
In the following we speak about competence areas, where different components of the
promotion of storytelling lie. These topics or competences differ in so far, as the elements of
the competences may more or less focus on one of the elements that make up a
competence – the knowledge, skills or attitudes (the value component) which together
describe the spectrum of tasks and activities related to curating storytelling within a region.
Not all topics in this inventory of competences fully fit the competence definition above.
Some have a focus on knowledge and less relate to concrete skills and attitudes. The
knowledge related topics have to be complemented with skills and attitudes that enable the
curator to make use of this knowledge.
Core competences for the work of a storytelling curator
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Knowledge of Storytelling (applied storytelling and as form of art, being able to
recognise good stories, …).
Personal delivery, training and facilitation (knowing methods and techniques of
storytelling, being able to give examples, …)
Communication
Inspiring and motivating others (e.g. through being a role model)
Cultural awareness (e.g. when working with minorities to know sth. about their cultural
codes and backgrounds)
Creativity/improvisation (e.g. being able to develop new approaches that relate to
preconditions and needs of target groups, being able to react spontaneously on
needs of the group, …)
Knowledge of social structures and institutions in the local or regional community
(being able to recognise perspectives for developments, knowing whom to address
for support, being aware of stakeholders and decision makers,…)
Generic competence areas for the work of a storytelling curator are:
•
•
•
•
1
Networking
Negotiation
Active listening
Sense of initiative/entrepreneurial spirit
'Core competence area' refers to those competences that involve knowledge, skills and attitudes that are rather
specifically tailored towards the field of storytelling. 'generic competences' are of less specifically related to
storytelling, e.g. networking to organise an event or raise funds for a storytelling festival is not much different
from networking and fundraising in other professional fields. However there is no strict line to distinguish 'core'
from 'generic' competences.
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Asus 2016-5-30 11:33
Borttagen: variances
•
•
Promotion & fundraising
Planning and organisational skills
In practice an individual, who is involved in promoting storytelling, does not need to be
competent in all these areas. Which competences are relevant at what level of proficiency is
required in order to be able to perform a range of tasks in a particular context, depends on
the specific position the curator holds and the tasks that are related to that position. Also the
activities of a storytelling curator can as well be carried out by a team of individuals, who
share tasks according to their roles, personal strengths, abilities and connections.
On the following pages competences that belong to the competence profile of a storytelling
curator will be described one by one. First a general description of the competence in the
context of a storytelling curator will be described in a generic way. From this general
descriptions it will be derived which knowledge aspects, which active skills and which
attitudes belong to it in order to support the implementation of storytelling approaches to
connect people and organisations within a region.
The competence definition above emphasises the relevance of the context in which the
competence has to be applied in a certain quality.
According to various context a storytelling curator may be working in, the competences of
this profile may be more or less relevant and/or need to be specified in more detail. The aim
of this matrix is to provide a basis from which to start when specifying the expectations for
employing a storytelling curator.
The specific knowledge, skills and attitudes very much depend on the concrete context the
curator is acting in and the objectives of his or her work. The presented elements of KSA in
this document will have to be further elaborated in practice.
It will become obvious when reading through the descriptions that all competences are very
much interwoven and strongly complement each other. In most cases they will be applied as
synthesis reflecting the complexity of the role of the storytelling curator.
4.1 Core competences of a Storytelling Curator in detail
4.1.1 Knowledge of Storytelling/Being a storytelling expert
The storytelling curator has knowledge about different forms of storytelling, e.g. applied
storytelling in educational contexts, in biographic groups, in digital form, for therapeutic
applications, in the context of heritage preservation, etc. He/she can tell about experiences
with storytelling and of storytelling projects.
He/she knows specifics of the different forms of storytelling and is able to judge under which
conditions they can be applied and which requirements need to be met therefore. Further
he/she is able and motivated to counsel or support others in selecting adequate storytelling
approaches for different purposes and contexts or to introduce them to professionals capable
providing the services needed.
He/ she knows and has experience with storytelling as form of art and knows what
distinguishes applied storytelling from the art of storytelling. Based on this knowledge the
curator is able to select and recognise good stories. In addition the storytelling curator knows
a number of professional storytellers and what they have to offer, e.g. trainings, artful
7
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:18
Borttagen: , tell
storytelling etc. He/she is able to plan new storytelling projects, and has good knowledge
about local, regional and national structures (see part 4.1.6 below).. The curator has a
mutual interest in and appreciation for storytelling, its different forms and applications and is
motivated to approach others to suggest to apply storytelling as tool or form of art in their
contexts or to achieve their objectives.
4.1.2 Personal delivery, training, facilitation
To promote storytelling it is necessary to convey it in different forms to others. To do so the
storytelling curator is competent in personally preparing, delivering and facilitating storytelling
and giving examples of the impact of applied or artistic storytelling. He/she also has
experience in delivering trainings on storytelling in different contexts, for different target
groups and objectives. He/she knows methods to introduce storytelling in different activities
and has theoretical knowledge of storytelling. With this knowledge he/she is able to teach
others in different storytelling approaches or how to implement storytelling into their own
activities. He/she is also able to facilitate courses and events that relate to storytelling or to
contribute to events with storytelling related activities. He/she has knowledge of the needs of
the learners, and is able to use his/her expertise and knowledge. He/she involves the
learners in designing the learning process. Furthermore, the curator is able to formulate and
communicate the objectives of the activity to give a larger picture of the training contents.
He/she has the competence to guide learners and supports the participants in reaching the
goals of the activity. The curator is able to use different methods (didactics), styles
(approaches) and techniques. She or he is able to relate to everyday life and to attune the
contents to the living world of the learners. The curator is flexible and has the ability to
change the strategy when necessary. He/she is able to arrange the learning space in a way
that all resources are available and accessible and to create feed-back options and
arrangements for the learners and to create opportunities for dialogue and cooperation.
Asus 2016-5-30 11:38
Kommentar [5]: I don’t think this is necessary.
Should the curator also be a storyteller then?
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:18
Borttagen: how to tell stories
4.1.3 Communication
Communication is the most generic competence in all areas of life where interaction with
others happens. Most activities of a storytelling curator involve communication; it is the very
key competence for this position. The curator is competent in communicating in a way that
stimulates imagination, narrative thinking and thus exemplifies his/her mission of promoting
storytelling. This communication style is applied in adequate fashion on a quality level that
fosters paving the way for storytelling activities. The storytelling curator is able to establish a
relation of trust and shows integrity through his/her way to communicate. In the
communication with stakeholders he/she is aware of different communication styles and that
different situations and setting require different approaches through communication. Through
appropriate communication he/she can identify problems, can discuss them and find
solutions. This not only refers to training situations, but also in raising funds and support, for
negotiation and organisation of events etc. The curator has a positive attitude towards
communicating and inspires other to communicate in an open and reflective way.
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:22
Borttagen: way
8
4.1.4 Being a motivator
The core missions of a storytelling curator is to inspire and motivate others to open up to
storytelling and to (consider) making use of it, to implement it into activities and initiatives or
to support and contribute to storytelling events. The curator is able to use different
techniques to motivate, empower and inspire others through storytelling and is able to make
the relevance of it clear from a broader perspective. This ability highly depends on the
attitude of the curator. He/she is aware of and has a highly positive attitude and conviction of
the benefits and applications of storytelling. He/she is able to find and express arguments
and examples to illustrate the benefits of storytelling initiatives and to mobilise support. This
requires a highly developed communication competence, but also the anticipation of the
background and context of the interlocutor. The curator is empathic and enjoys and values to
involve others in storytelling.
4.1.5 Cultural awareness (?)
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-30 16:24
Cultural awareness is another relevant competence of a storytelling curator. A storytelling
curator is aware of the cultural context he/she is acting in. This not only comprises the “home
culture” of the curator, but other cultures of other groups of society, e.g. migrants, youths, or
people of religious minorities. The curator has knowledge about cultural practices, traditions
and narratives of the social groups he/she interacts with. This includes knowing codes of
communication and behaviour, but also tolerance and mutual respect for diversity and other
people. Through cultural awareness the curator is able to avoid, and if occurring to mediate,
culture based problems. has knowledge of ways to establish a relationship of trust and
respect with learners, colleagues and stakeholders with a different cultural background is
able to work in teams with members belonging to different cultures is able to exchange
knowledge and experiences with persons with different cultural backgrounds respects others
and their different cultural backgrounds has a positive attitude towards working together with
people from different cultures.
4.1.5 Creativity/Improvisation
The range of activities and contexts of a storytelling curator is vast: speaking with people of
different social groups, organising events for various target groups, supporting others in their
creative processes, organising support, etc.. Creativity and the ability to improvise enable the
curator to find and apply creative solutions for unforeseen challenges and/or to react to
situations spontaneously in order to avoid potential losses of quality caused through
disturbances and to maintain consent of participants or stakeholders involved in storytelling
initiatives. The storytelling curator has knowledge of creative thinking techniques and how to
guide others through creative processes. He/she is able to approach new situations and
challenges from several perspectives with open mind. He/she is competent in actively joining
creative processes and to apply different creative thinking techniques to generate solutions
and approaches and to act accordingly. He/she is able to identify unique connections
between different ideas. The curator inspires and motivates others to express and develop
their own creativity in different situations
4.1.6 Insight into regional social structures and institutions
In order to create and support connections between people, organisations and institutions in
9
Borttagen: (
an area through storytelling, the storytelling curator has knowledge of social and institutional
structures and relevant stakeholders in his/her working environment. He/she knows or is able
to find out whom to address and involve in for funding, planning, implementation and
evaluation process of storytelling based initiatives. The curator is connected to different
networks on regional, national and international level.
4.2 Generic competences of Storytelling Curators in detail
4.2.1 Networking
The competence to network and to create connections is crucial for supporting the
development of a storytelling culture within a region.
The curator is competent in interacting with others involved in his/her working field, is able to
establish relationships and to build up a network of relevant contacts to promote storytelling.
He/she has knowledge of relevant networks within the region and beyond.
In collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders, the curator has the ability to exchange
knowledge and experience as well as to establish new contacts in a target oriented way.
He/she is aware of his/her role in different contexts and knows feasible approaches to
establish new contacts, taking into consideration the working contexts and roles of other
stakeholders. He/she has internalised his/her own goals and recognises opportunities to
promote these towards others. The curator has a positive attitude towards collaborating with
colleagues and stakeholders, is interested in the exchange of knowledge and experiences
and open towards different forms and opportunities of networking.
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-31 08:27
Borttagen: beyond
4.2.2 Negotiation
Negiotiation is a a formal discussion between people who are trying to reach an agreement
and a process of balancing costs and interests of stakeholders through communication.
The curator is competent in solving conflict situations through the application of specific
techniques. The curator is able to identify the interests and attitudes of the communication
partner and to develop a proper strategy to respond to it. He/she is familiar with concepts of
accommodation, mediation, facilitation and compromising and is able to apply the right
technique to the specific situation, taking into consideration rights, needs and feelings of all
parties involved to reach a solution. The curator is able to identify problems and find
solutions in a group of people with different requests and respects others’ feelings, rights and
requests.
4.2.3 Sense of initiative/entrepreneurial spirit
The storytelling curator is a promotor who easily take initiative. has a strong sense of
initiative. To promote storytelling among different groups of society he/she is able to actively
approach others and to build connections to contribute to the dissemination of storytelling.
He/she is able to recognise chances, opportunities and synergies and to make use of them
for the sake of his/her mission.
The curator is able to take initiative to start and facilitate activities and to motivate others to
10
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-31 08:30
Formaterat: Genomstruken
take part.
4.2.4 Promotion & fundraising
Each event needs funding. The curator is able to raise and establish awareness of
storytelling and the related activites in the region. He/she is able to generate and manage
funding from different sources, and to create networks of support. He/she uses his/her
knowledge of regional institutions and stakeholders to identify and mobilise (potential)
supporters and is able to maintain the relationship with them through information about
ongoing activites. The curator has a strong conviction of storytelling and knows arguments
and examples to illustrate the benefits of storytelling for different purposes and to inspire
others to engage in storytelling. He/she values supporters and shows appreciation for
different forms of support.
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-31 08:31
Borttagen:
Anders Karlsson 2016-5-31 08:32
Borttagen:
4.2.5 Planning and organising storytelling events
The most visible results of the storytelling curators work are actual events where stories get
shared between the people. The curator is competent in planning and organising activities
and events for different target groups and at various places. This involves on one hand
material aspects of an event like funding, timing and location, physical infrastructure,
communicating and distributing tasks to others and on the other intellectual products, the
programme and didactical design of an event. The curator uses his/her knowledge of the
needs and expectations of the target group to plan different programme designs. He/she
knows methods to facilitate storytelling events for different target groups in various contexts.
5. How to make use of this competence framework
See above. IS THIS NECESSARY? PERHAPS GUYS SUGGESTION OF A MATRIX HERE,
AS A SUMARY?
6. References
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Anders Karlsson 2016-5-31 08:33
Borttagen: abov