Using Digital Storytelling to Stimulate Discussion in Army Professional Forums

Online communities of practice cannot achieve organizational impact without member activity – discussion that leads to knowledge sharing, social network development, and strengthening of the professional community (Cianciolo, Heiden, Prevou, & Psotka, 2005; Schwietzer, 2003). Several guidelines exist for facilitating ongoing, “organic” discussion, which stems from requests for information made by forum members. However, there do not exist formal guidelines for designing and using “built” opportunities to participate in conversation (Dixon, Allen, Burgess, Kilner, & Schwietzer, 2005). Built opportunities for discussion, such as book reviews, storytelling, and polling, may foster the impact of online discussion forums through tacit knowledge sharing and shared learning experiences (Dixon et al., 2005). The present research explored the design and development of digital stories as built opportunities for discussion in Army professional forums. Digital stories are the combination of narrative, visuals, and audio in a short vignette that communicates a particular message, such as one’s values, knowledge, or visions for the future (Denning, 2005; Freidus & Hlubinka, 2002). Lessons learned about the characteristics of effective digital stories, how to support the storytelling process, and the type of discussion generated from digital stories will be presented.