How do you elicit and amplify clients' preferred stories and outcomes?

How do you elicit and amplify clients' preferred stories and outcomes? If you are a therapist, coach, or counselor who uses narrative therapy, you know that this is a key skill to help your clients rewrite their stories and achieve their goals. In this article, you will learn some practical tips and techniques to enhance your storytelling skills and empower your clients.

1 What is narrative therapy?

Narrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that views people as the experts of their own lives and helps them separate themselves from their problems. It is based on the idea that people create meaning and identity through the stories they tell about themselves and their experiences. Narrative therapy helps clients identify and explore their preferred stories, which are the stories that reflect their values, strengths, hopes, and aspirations. By eliciting and amplifying these stories, narrative therapists help clients challenge and change the dominant or problem-saturated stories that limit their potential and well-being.

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Renée Burkett

Creative Story-Brand. Visionary & Writer, Speaker, Published Author, Creator, Premium Ghost Writer-(Shh!), Biographer, Brand Developer, Cat-Caterer
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As a biographer, brand-champion and writer, I am speaking to those who may seek to promote, their stories for business or clients' businesses. We all have an inner dialogue, whether it is powerfully good or causes us to lag in our lives or businesses. Writing our inner narrative down in a process Julia Cameron, author of "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" calls Morning Pages can awaken in us the ability to see our narratives and choose to amplify ones that will bring emotional lift creating a platform for goal and dream development. Writing our thoughts even by beginning with, "I don't know what to say", can open a window to a mighty deluge of internal narrative that may ignite or amplify our well-being.

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2 How to elicit preferred stories

In order to elicit preferred stories, it is essential to ask open-ended, curious, and respectful questions that encourage your clients to share more information about their desired outcomes, exceptions to the problem, unique outcomes, and alternative stories. Such questions may include: What are you hoping to achieve by coming here today? When was the last time you felt more in control of your situation? How did you manage to cope with the problem in the past? What are some of the skills, values, or qualities that you possess that can help you overcome the problem? How would you like your life to be different if the problem was not there?

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Renée Burkett

Creative Story-Brand. Visionary & Writer, Speaker, Published Author, Creator, Premium Ghost Writer-(Shh!), Biographer, Brand Developer, Cat-Caterer
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As a writer, eliciting the preferred stories of my clients comes through Listening with a capital L. I take notes, I ask questions, and then I listen with childlike curiosity as if I wanted to master the very subjects they were speaking about. And, I use voice recording with their permission, to capture the repeating themes, the emotions attached to the stories and thereby we as a team, the client and I, elicit preferred stories. Then I write for them, either in a narrator's third-person voice or in my client's voice with the confidence that I'm telling their preferred stories.

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3 How to amplify preferred stories

To amplify preferred stories, reflective listening, affirmations, compliments, and summaries should be used to highlight and reinforce your clients' preferred stories. Additionally, questions that help your clients expand, enrich, and evaluate their preferred stories should be asked. Examples include: what does this story tell you about yourself; how does this story make you feel; what are the benefits of living according to this story; how do other people see you when you act according to this story; and how can you make this story more visible and influential in your life.

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4 How to document preferred stories

To document preferred stories, you need to use creative and collaborative methods that help your clients record, share, and celebrate their preferred stories. Writing letters, journals, or poems is one way to express their preferred stories, while drawing, painting, or collaging images can represent them. Making videos, podcasts, or songs can also be a great way to showcase their preferred stories. Additionally, creating certificates, awards, or badges that acknowledge their preferred stories could be beneficial. Lastly, inviting witnesses such as family, friends, or peers to listen and respond to their preferred stories is another great option.

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5 How to sustain preferred stories

To sustain preferred stories, it is essential to help clients plan, practice, and monitor their desired outcomes. This includes setting SMART goals that align with their chosen narratives, developing action plans that outline the steps and resources needed to achieve their goals, and regularly reviewing their progress and celebrating achievements. Additionally, it is important to identify and address any barriers or doubts that might interfere with their desired outcomes while providing ongoing feedback, encouragement, and guidance.

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6 How to improve your storytelling skills

To improve your storytelling skills, you should practice, reflect, and learn from both your own and others' experiences. Additionally, you should seek feedback, supervision, and training from experts and peers. To do this, you can record and review your sessions to identify strengths and weaknesses, seek feedback from clients or colleagues on your storytelling skills, read books or articles on narrative therapy and storytelling, attend workshops or courses on the subject, or join networks of narrative therapists and storytellers.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Bhavik Sarkhedi 🪜

Forbes Global Personal Branding Expert 2025 | Founder: Ohh My Brand | Co-founder: Blushush Agency | Executive Branding | SEO Consultant | LinkedIn Branding | Brand Strategist | Author | Exits: Write Right, Dad of Ad
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To measure and improve the impact and effectiveness of nonlinear storytelling in web series, I employ several strategies. Firstly, I analyze viewer engagement metrics such as watch time, audience retention, and click-through rates to understand how viewers are navigating the non-linear narrative. Additionally, I gather qualitative feedback through surveys or focus groups to gauge audience perceptions and preferences. Using A/B testing, I experiment with different narrative structures and evaluate their impact on viewer engagement and satisfaction. Continuous monitoring of social media conversations and comments helps me assess audience reactions and adjust storytelling accordingly.

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How do you elicit and amplify clients' preferred stories and outcomes?

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1 What is narrative therapy?

2 How to elicit preferred stories

3 How to amplify preferred stories

4 How to document preferred stories

5 How to sustain preferred stories

6 How to improve your storytelling skills

7 Here’s what else to consider

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