The message of a story can be described as the moral of the story, the overarching statement of moral or ideological nature. This should be demonstrated by the other parts of the narrative, and typically should not have to be spoken out loud. With some exceptions; fables for one. They contain very clear messages, and often quite outspoken (but even here, the reader or listener has to interpret it). “Those grapes were probably sour anyway” said the legendary fox in Aesops fable, teaching us about pretending to dislike something you really want but can’t have. Or “the boy who cried wolf”. Or “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”.
These are statements we all recognize and understand the meaning of. However, all stories have some form of message, although not always as clear.
In Ibsen’s drama Brand, we follow Brand who lives strictly by the motto “What you do, do it completely and wholly and not in pieces”, and the message of the story could be said to be “Dogmatism leads to downfall”.
Stories we tell about ourselves also have messages. It can be messages about our ability to improvise or resolve conflicts, it can be messages about our humility or caring for others. I have heard some amazing stories with profound messages from and about a lot of people I have had the fortune to meet, just from every-day stories of their lives. Some live with me many years later, painting the picture of that person deeper, richer and fuller for me. I will develop this a bit more in the blogpost about different stories and working consciously with them.
There are of course millions of stories from the corporate world as well. Some live longer than others. IKEAs “Flatpack revolution”-story that embraces the background and vision of it’s leader Ingvar Kamprad, and that comes with a strong message of innovation, affordability, and sustainability, is one of those that have survived and grown stronger over the years. Please, feel free to give some examples of your choice in the commentary below!
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