There are six elements of storytelling and they tie quite well into instructional design, which is probably why storytelling is such an effective instructional technique.

1. Setting: Where does the story take place? Often in our learner’s performance context.
2. Characters: Our learner, or a surrogate, should most often be the main character.
3. Plot. What is the actual story? We should let the learning strategy form our plot.
4. Conflict: Whatever form our conflict or challenge takes it should directly be tied to the overall learning objectives.
5. Theme: The theme of the story is the main idea or underlying meaning and it should tie back to our performance objectives.
6. Narrative Arc: We covered a great deal of the narrative arch in previous videos when we discussed the hero’s journey. The narrative arch is what keeps the story moving and keeps our learners engaged.