Insights from the field: Exploring the basics of storytelling
A reflection from Renira Narrandes, Knowledge Translation Program Manager
Trainee Hub event. From left to right: Renira Narrandes and Priscilla Medeiros, Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children.
The following feature was originally published by the SickKids Learning Institute in their newsletter on May 11, 2026.
The most powerful stories in healthcare are about people—patients, clinicians and others with lived experience. We need to hear these stories to understand what people go through, explore solutions and most importantly, connect as human beings.
I had the opportunity to discuss this topic on Feb. 18 at a Trainee Hub event hosted by the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, in partnership with Child Health Evaluative Sciences. The Trainee Hub enables Leong Centre graduate students, post-doctoral research fellows and clinical trainees to learn about the foundations, ethical dimensions and planning for community-engaged research.
Having worked with community organizations and hundreds of storytellers with kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, mental health and other issues, I’ve seen the power of stories firsthand. Storytelling helps people with lived experience connect with their audience and make an impact, whether the goal is to inform research, improve understanding or promote change in service design and policy.
For clinicians, researchers and knowledge translation practitioners working with advisory groups, it's important to be intentional about how storytelling is invited, supported and used. In this 90-minute workshop, I reviewed the basics of storytelling and explored the benefits and risks of sharing personal stories. Some of those risks can include:
❌ The potential for harm and re-traumatization ❌ Feelings of power imbalance ❌ Lack of control over story frame or format ❌ Wishes forgotten or ignored ❌ Stories living longer than the desire to share them ❌ Saying “yes” to everything because one thing is a good opportunity
The good news is there are practical ways to support storytellers so they can share safely and on their own terms, something we explored in the workshop.
Interested in storytelling? Learn more about storytelling and other training offered by the Knowledge Translation Program.
