68 BASED ON A TRUE STORY: YOU! While you are not a professional teacher, you are professionally engaged in what you are about to teach. So don’t be afraid to pay your ace card: your experience! We encourage our law enforcement instructors to invest their own professional experiences into the learning process. Tell the story of policing as only you can – the profound joy, sadness, courage, despair and hope!
We encourage our law enforcement instructors to invest their own professional experiences into the learning process. Tell the story of policing as only you can – the profound joy, sadness, courage, despair and hope! So don’t be afraid to pay your ace card: your experience! While you are not a professional teacher, you are professionally engaged in what you are about to teach. 68 69
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY: YOU!While you are not a professional
teacher, you are professionally engaged
in what you are about to teach.
So don’t be afraid to pay your ace card:
your experience!
We encourage our law enforcement
instructors to invest their own
professional experiences into the
learning process. Tell the story of
policing as only you can – the
profound joy, sadness, courage, despair
and hope!
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Stories have the power to reveal truth in a way that raw facts cannot.Every aspect of law enforcement is rich in human drama. It is a
story which you have the privilege of relating from personal
experience.
Stories can explain and illuminate:
1. Our core values
2. What we care about
3. Our greatest aspirations
4. Value lessons & great insights
Take time before the class to think about the subject matter at
hand and your own related experience.
Story PromptsYou will notice that we have included in the new materials
something called STORY PROMPTS. Each suggested prompt –
some short, some long – are designed to spark more imaginative
and engaging approaches to the written text.
Example: Relate to the cadets your first day in the police
academy.
What was the hardest part? What was difficult for others, that
you found easy? Explain a part of the training that made a cadet
fail or quit the academy.
Tips Telling a Masterful StoryPick the moment you step out of the prepared lesson to tell your
story with care. The cadets should know when a story has begun
and the exact moment your story ends.
1. Get the cadets used to the idea of “story time”.
2. It should be approximately two minutes.
3. Give them audio and visual clues using a marked
departure in voice and manner.
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D O N ’ T F E E L C O M F O R T A B L E T A L K I N G A B O U T Y O U R S E L F ? S P E A K O N B E H A L F O F
A N O F F I C E R Y O U K N E W :
“I want to tell you about the greatest police officer I ever knew. It’s my privilege to speak on his behalf. He was my real police academy.”
I T ’ S T H E W A Y W E K E E P T H O S E W H O H A V E P A S T E D O N . . . A L I V E .
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4. During this two minutes, the cadets should become accustomed to complete silence and no hands up for a question.
Sacred GroundThe story you relate may be sacred ground for you, so the class should be respectful. You may want to start with stories that are humorous
or perhaps less personal while they are still getting used to how to behave during this time.
Always know the point of your story or how it ends. In other words, how does it relate to the UNIT. How does it amplify the information
you were covering.
Plan Your TransitionUltimately your story will be judged based on the grace with which you are able to end the story on point and step back into the lesson.
This is simple enough to do if you give it a little thought prior to classroom. Trying to work out the details of your exit while your telling the
story is not recommended.
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Fire up those Life Lessons
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Here is a small selection of common story themes. They
will hopefully trigger a great story. [If they do, find the
appropriate UNIT and work them into the classroom.]
REMEMBRANCE OR MEMORIAL STORIES
Stories that acknowledge, honor or reflect on the life of
one who has died.
The Best Police Officer I Have Ever Met…Stories of a significant mentor in your career. What impact
have they made on your life?
Nearly every law enforcement officer draws inspiration
from a veteran who they admired. Pick an ah-ha moment
from that partnership.
Stories of ChallengeStories in which you have experienced challenge and how
you overcame it. They can be physical as well as mental
challenges of conquering a specific fear early in your
career.
Objects & ArtifactsAll of us have own a possession that holds tremendous
value in our lives. There is always a compelling story that
brings that object to life and gives it meaning.
Stories about a PlaceGeographical places hold intense memories and emotional
significance in our lives. While places may not have
historic markers and may seem unremarkable to the casual
observer, they are never-the-less sacred places in your life.
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Jim Leavelle is the "man in the white hat" and the centerpiece to the most famous image in the history of photojournalism. An early supporter of this program, Jim is the gold standard for how to share your experience:
• Remain good humored regarding events.
• Be candid about mistakes you may have made.
• Remember you are a goodwill ambassador for law enforcement officers past and present, speak with conviction to the nobility of your profession.
the gold standard
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The archaeological history of you is fertile ground for every
storyteller.
A picture, plus a thousand or so wordsCountless stories can be found in the well-worn shoe box or
photo album. Each photo preserves a moment in time and each
moment has a corresponding story: “Where was I when this
photo was taken? Who took it? Who is in the photo with me?
What was I thinking when this was taken?”
Listing ExercisesMake a list. Jot down three to five:
1. specific experiences that have made you the person you
are;
2. unique things that you do habitually that have helped
you succeed;
3. experiences you'd mention if someone asked you to
explain why you do the work you do.
FocusTelling the entire history of
your experience in a single
short story can be an overly
ambitious task. It is often
hard to know where to start
a story and usually harder to know when to end it.
Just keep in mind it should end by relating the wisdom or
transformation that occurred as a result and you can’t go
wrong!
Your StoryAnd if you have any doubts as to the value of your own stories,
imagine for a moment what you would give to hear the
thoughts and insights of the long line of law enforcement