Autobiographical (Reflective) Narrative

Contemplative pedagogy faculty interest group (In person)
Time: 9:00 – 1:00 PM
Date: TBC August 19, 25 or 28
Please vote for your preferred date

We are storytelling animals—narrative is in our blood. We use stories to illuminate the universe and our place in it; understand context and relationship; share wonder; craft goals and measure progress; define our experiences and translate emotion; makes sense of the past, organize the present, and create the future. 

What happens when we outgrow stories that no longer serve us? What happens when we explore new narratives that evolve our autonomy, self-efficacy, and freedom? What happens when we let go of stories and experience the Big Quiet?

In this retreat, we will enjoy illuminating exercises in interpersonal, intrapersonal, and archetypal storytelling, using textual (written), oral (spoken), and contemplative (introspective) forms. We will play improvisation games that liberate our creative confidence, uncover stories we use to reify our identities, transcribe stories from other versions of ourselves, and practice listening to the spacious silence in-between. 

Learning outcomes: 

• Increase self-awareness around the power of narrative to define us

• Learn to cultivate psychologically safe spaces to explore storytelling with students

• Reinforce our scientific understanding of how journalling, reframing, and auto-biography affects our physical and mental well-being

• Articulate the connection between the stories we tell ourselves/others and how we experience meaning, purpose, motivation, adaptation, resilience, worthiness, self-confidence, and gratitude  

• Practice a variety of exercises that can be used to empower students across academic disciplines

Facilitator’s Bio

Theodore Z. Klein helps superheroes learn to enjoy saving the world—he’s a teacher, facilitator, and lay-ordained Soto Zen practitioner who designs exercises to help individuals and organizations flourish. He develops and facilitates programs in empowerment and leadership at the John Molson Executive Centre; he is a Senior Instructor at Concordia Continuing Education, where he teaches Communicating w/ Emotional Intelligence, Influencing w/ Integrity & Impact, Refining Management Reflexes, Innovation & Problem Solving, Business, and Marketing; and he designs and leads workshops in creative collaboration, ideation, rapid bonding, team development and flourishing with the Leadership Institute and What Comes Next, LLC for senior executives and high-performing squads from large organizations such as Meta, Microsoft, and the federal government. Whether creating a program for The Princeton Review to reduce anxiety in higher education; leading a research project to chart the correlation between learning networks, influence, and gratitude; or pioneering the use of joy matrices to optimize performance and accelerate leadership development, he leverages the science of happiness to energize professionals in high-impact roles by cultivating a culture of inspiration. Originally from California, Ted completed his MBA at HEC in Montréal where he lives with his wife Laetitia, their daughter Penelope, and his labradoodle Melvin.