我们有故事要告诉你吗!

Almost everyone loves to hear a good story, but it takes someone special to tell one. 学生 at the 内布拉斯加大学 at Kearney’s College of Business are treated to the fine art of storytelling when they enter Dr. 卡尔·波登的教室. His stories take them back in time to when he was a little boy learning the nuances of business from his father to his long career as a serial entrepreneur. 有这么多的金融经验可供他支配, he uses his own life to teach his students more than they could ever learn by simply reading a textbook.

Dr. 波登, who is responsible for starting and running almost a dozen successful businesses, 对他教学生的东西有第一手的经验吗. From his chain of “ICF/DD” facilities (Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled specializing in caring for mentally retarded adults with a history of violence and sex offenses), to the diesel engine fuel conversion system manufacturing company he and his son founded, to a wholesale fashion supply company with 13 salesmen covering territory in 26 states, Dr. 波登 has learned a lot about what it takes to implement business strategies successfully. 为博士. 波登, being successful in the world of business is all about creating win-win relationships. He believes that “If everyone doesn’t win, you don’t have a viable business model.” This business philosophy has helped him develop and grow many companies employing hundreds of people.

Dr. 波登 makes clear, however, that his classes are not “fun and games.”  He has a reputation as one of the most rigorous instructors in the College of 商业及科技. But with his background he is in a unique position to help students anticipate what their future in the business world will look like and understand 为什么 rigorous preparation leads to success. “Stories are illuminating, but they are not a substitute for hard work and study.” By sharing his personal stories students have their imaginations stimulated, and it doesn’t take long for them to understand that their professor is sharing more than just textbook knowledge. Dr. 波登 uses storytelling to help his students grasp concepts because he understands that it helps them retain and apply the information they’ll use in their future careers. He says, “It is not enough to get the right answer by pushing buttons on a calculator.  你还必须知道 为什么 这是正确答案.”  He has had occasions where former students have reminded him of a story he told in class many years ago. 他们不仅记得故事中的具体细节, 但他们与他分享了他所教的一课. By enhancing his class with storytelling to make concepts come alive students retain and apply what they have been taught. 讲故事可以实现这一点.

在体育菠菜大平台的37年里，Dr. 波登 has watched many students leave his classroom and graduate. He’s lost count of how many have returned to share their success stories with him. Just as his former students continue to learn about the world of business, he’s always turning new experiences into new storytelling opportunities. Recently, while checking his e-mail, he read one that was an obvious story opportunity. The e-mail was the opening ploy for a classic “Spanish Prisoner/Honeypot” scam that Dr. 博登在他的短期财务管理课上讲授, where among other topics students learn about common frauds and confidence games.  Recognizing the financial scam contained in the e-mail he decided to take advantage of what he knew would be a perfect case study for his class. The scam is a sexual-innuendo trap that cons its victims out of millions of dollars in scam payments every year.  在通知了他的妻子(!) and several colleagues of what he was doing he played along with the con, 假装上当了三周. When it progressed to the point where the person on the other end of the e-mail exchange shared bank information in an attempt to get money from him, Dr. 波登知道他有这个案子所需的所有数据.  He turned his information over to bank and Federal authorities and started preparing to use the case to explain the psychology and strategies used in these financial scams. Dr. 波登 is scheduled to present this e-mail fraud case study at the Financial 教育 Association in San Antonio, 德州.

Dr. 博登不仅仅是体育菠菜大平台大学的资深教授. He is a master storyteller who sees educational value in everyday life experiences. His published research examines the effect of storytelling and finds statistically significant evidence that student retention is enhanced in finance courses when storytelling is used, 验证纺纱类时间值.  His ability to take what he has experienced and weave it through his courses is a gift that his students sometimes spend many years opening. 毕竟, the best thing about hearing a good story is that the experience stays with you long after it ends. 在将近40年的时间里. 博登把自己的一生当作一本敞开的书，供学生阅读. 这在很多课堂上是学不到的.