Story shapes
Voyage and return
Someone goes into a strange world, is fascinated, then threatened, and escapes home changed by what they saw.
- Time20 to 30 minutes
- People1 to 6 people
- Steps5
What it's for
The shape of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, and of many research and immersion stories: a team spends time in a customer's world, is surprised, gets out of its depth, and comes back seeing its own work differently.
The return is the point. Say what's different now that they're back.
How to run it
Into the strange world4 min
Where did they go, and why?
The fascination5 min
What was surprising or exciting at first?
The turn5 min
When did it start to feel wrong or out of depth?
The threat4 min
What was the worst of it?
Home, changed5 min
What do they see differently now?
Tips
- Use it for research read-outs: take the audience into the customer's world with you.
- Name one thing the team does differently since coming back.
Where it comes from
One of the seven basic plots in Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots (2004). The stages here are a simplified version of his.
Pairs well with
The quest
A hero sets out for a distant goal, meets trials and setbacks on the way, and finally reaches it after one last ordeal.
Rags to riches
Someone starts with little, rises, loses it all in a crisis, and wins it back for good by growing into who they need to be.
Hero's journey
The pattern behind many myths and films: a hero leaves the ordinary world, is tested, and returns changed, with something to share.