The Power of Surprise in Story-Based Design
Chief Learning Architect
In most endeavors - war, sports, marketing or storytelling - the element of surprise works wonders. By using the strategy of surprise, people are caught in their vulnerable state, a condition that
leads to openness and non-judgment. This component of surprise is important in the Story-based eLearning design because it creates an environment of awe and marvel during learning.
The ingredient of surprise adds more impact to an event or endeavor. In the movie Sixth Sense,
the audience was blindsided when Bruce Willis - whom everyone thought was a regular
character - was actually a dead person. During the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive launched by
the communists caught the US military off-guard that it nearly depleted the American forces.
The power of surprise is just as important in the Story-based eLearning design. Since eLearning
follows the dynamic or hypertext method instead of the linear approach, the lessons are unexpected
with open-ended outcomes. Thus, these heighten the learner's sense of wonder and cause them
to be more receptive.
How is surprise attained?
Story-based designs are basically provocative and argumentative. It compels learners to take different views and answers that are not labeled as right or wrong. In effect, there is a flow of
new ideas and it gives learners an opportunity to 'stack experiences'.
Surprise is also based on the unexpected. In real life we cannot always predict how events will
turn out. We attempt to bring the unexpected into our learning scenarios to make lessons more authentic. Our eLearning designs usually mirror real life with its own surprises.
On the contrary, when we spoon-feed learners, we eliminate the surprise factor. When this happens, the learners tend to be passive and take less active roles. When elearning lessons are dynamically designed, the learners are taken to various twists and turns. They flow with the story and discover context as it unfolds. Learners wait with anticipation and see how the scenario will turn out.
In his article Surprise Is Still the Most Powerful Marketing Tool, Scott Redick writes:
What are the other lessons infusing surprise? When learners are surprised, It is actual evidence that they have more to learn. The fact that they were surprised proves that they still lack knowledge or have not learned enough; thus, there is an exciting room for growth.
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