Using Storytelling as a Communication tool and a 

 Problem - Solver 

 Introduction 

 I would like to talk about two problem statements that I have faced – the first one taught me the   importance of storytelling as an effective tool of communication and the second , of its   importance as a problem - solver . The assignment is structured in such a way that the first   paragraph in every section talks about the first problem and the second paragraph talks about the   second one . 

 Challenge 

 The first problem I faced was years ago as a student , when I got involved with building up an   NGO . As part of the organization , we provided free tuition to the under - privileged kids from   neighboring community . The problem was that due to the financially poor conditions in which   the kids were being raised at home , they seemed utterly dis - interested in getting education . They   used to say out statements like " What are we going to achieve by doing all this hard work . We   will always work as day laborers , etc . " It was heartbreaking to say the least . 

 The second problem I faced was years later as part of the corporate world . My team and I , we   were trying to improve the performance of a digital product ( an app ) that helped first - time   homebuyers make a purchase by perusing through all the relevant information regarding the   houses online . Our objective was to improve the performance of an already live app , which gave   information about the houses . 

 Selection 

 For the first problem , because I personally found stories interesting and the need was for us to   engage the students , so we used storytelling . Storytelling is about communicating with your   audience via a story – creating characters , giving them some actions to do , which will ultimately   help them achieve a goal . All of this can be weaved into a story . This helps engage the audience ,   as stories are interesting to listen to and thus the subsequent learning from it is immense . 

 For the second problem , we knew that our app helped users select a home to buy , only doing it   all online . So , to get into the mind of our users , we wanted to create a story around a typical   homebuyer . This would have ensured we did not miss any customer problems and that the   solution we came up with was exhaustive . Nobody wants to revamp an app every quarter , so it is   important to solve the problem exhaustively . 

 Application 

 To solve the first problem , I started teaching the kids different subjects using stories I used to   weave on the spot . I would often cast the kids themselves as characters in it . An example would   be , to teach mathematics I would start " So if Seema here and Rohan went to the market today to 

 buy apples . The shopkeeper at the market gives the rate as Rs.10 per apple and we are all 30 of   us here . How much money would they need ? Kids , let 's count … " 

 To solve the second problem , we used storytelling not only as a tool to communicate with the   audience but also as a tool to solve problems . Alternatively , you can think of it as the buyers   telling us ( the audience ) their stories . We talked to many buyers and journeyed through their   home buying experience . We noted down to all the problems and asks that came up . When we   were trying to figuring out where the improvements in the app will come from , we mapped out   the entire home buying journey of a buyer and then we could pinpoint the corresponding   improvement areas in our app easily . For example , if the very first thing a buyer was interested   in while buying a house was to look at the property photos , we made sure that good quality   photos of the house were visible up front clearly . 

 Insight 

 While solving the first problem of engaging kids in education , I found that the storytelling   method was highly effective . The kids would all laugh at the , sometimes , ridiculous stories I   used to weave . Ultimately , through all that laughter , they would learn how to multiply , add ,   subtract , or even compose a story themselves in English . 

 While solving the second problem , I realized how going through the customer journey as a story   – a buyer researches a house , looks at photos , floor plans , locality , prices and then finalizes –   meant that we did not miss anything . This meant the solution we gave was exhaustive and solved   some actual user problems . Thus the solution was meaningful . 

 Alternative approach 

 To solve the first problem and engage the kids more , I realize that using visualization in addition   to storytelling would have been just perfect . I could have even brought the kids apples and   helped engage them further . 

 To solve the second problem , we did use the Learning Launch tool and released our solution to a   smaller audience first . Made certain adjustments in the solution as per the feedback received and   relaunched it again . I think Mind Mapping could have been a good tool to lay out all the user   requirements clearly . Although I would like to think the solution we provided was good , but   nothing is perfect . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Using Storytelling as a Communication tool and a 

 Problem - Solver 

 Introduction 

 I would like to talk about two problem statements that I have faced – the first one taught me the   importance of storytelling as an effective tool of communication and the second , of its   importance as a problem - solver . The assignment is structured in such a way that the first   paragraph in every section talks about the first problem and the second paragraph talks about the   second one . 

 Challenge 

 The first problem I faced was years ago as a student , when I got involved with building up an   NGO . As part of the organization , we provided free tuition to the under - privileged kids from   neighboring community . The problem was that due to the financially poor conditions in which   the kids were being raised at home , they seemed utterly dis - interested in getting education . They   used to say out statements like " What are we going to achieve by doing all this hard work . We   will always work as day laborers , etc . " It was heartbreaking to say the least . 

 The second problem I faced was years later as part of the corporate world . My team and I , we   were trying to improve the performance of a digital product ( an app ) that helped first - time   homebuyers make a purchase by perusing through all the relevant information regarding the   houses online . Our objective was to improve the performance of an already live app , which gave   information about the houses . 

 Selection 

 For the first problem , because I personally found stories interesting and the need was for us to   engage the students , so we used storytelling . Storytelling is about communicating with your   audience via a story – creating characters , giving them some actions to do , which will ultimately   help them achieve a goal . All of this can be weaved into a story . This helps engage the audience ,   as stories are interesting to listen to and thus the subsequent learning from it is immense . 

 For the second problem , we knew that our app helped users select a home to buy , only doing it   all online . So , to get into the mind of our users , we wanted to create a story around a typical   homebuyer . This would have ensured we did not miss any customer problems and that the   solution we came up with was exhaustive . Nobody wants to revamp an app every quarter , so it is   important to solve the problem exhaustively . 

 Application 

 To solve the first problem , I started teaching the kids different subjects using stories I used to   weave on the spot . I would often cast the kids themselves as characters in it . An example would   be , to teach mathematics I would start " So if Seema here and Rohan went to the market today to 

 buy apples . The shopkeeper at the market gives the rate as Rs.10 per apple and we are all 30 of   us here . How much money would they need ? Kids , let 's count … " 

 To solve the second problem , we used storytelling not only as a tool to communicate with the   audience but also as a tool to solve problems . Alternatively , you can think of it as the buyers   telling us ( the audience ) their stories . We talked to many buyers and journeyed through their   home buying experience . We noted down to all the problems and asks that came up . When we   were trying to figuring out where the improvements in the app will come from , we mapped out   the entire home buying journey of a buyer and then we could pinpoint the corresponding   improvement areas in our app easily . For example , if the very first thing a buyer was interested   in while buying a house was to look at the property photos , we made sure that good quality   photos of the house were visible up front clearly . 

 Insight 

 While solving the first problem of engaging kids in education , I found that the storytelling   method was highly effective . The kids would all laugh at the , sometimes , ridiculous stories I   used to weave . Ultimately , through all that laughter , they would learn how to multiply , add ,   subtract , or even compose a story themselves in English . 

 While solving the second problem , I realized how going through the customer journey as a story   – a buyer researches a house , looks at photos , floor plans , locality , prices and then finalizes –   meant that we did not miss anything . This meant the solution we gave was exhaustive and solved   some actual user problems . Thus the solution was meaningful . 

 Alternative approach 

 To solve the first problem and engage the kids more , I realize that using visualization in addition   to storytelling would have been just perfect . I could have even brought the kids apples and   helped engage them further . 

 To solve the second problem , we did use the Learning Launch tool and released our solution to a   smaller audience first . Made certain adjustments in the solution as per the feedback received and   relaunched it again . I think Mind Mapping could have been a good tool to lay out all the user   requirements clearly . Although I would like to think the solution we provided was good , but   nothing is perfect .
### Output: 