And-But-Therefore Storytelling in Planetariums

Presentation theme: educational advancements in planetariums

Because storytelling is a powerful tool for expression, many advocate its use for communicating science. However, science storytelling is not so straightforward for those starting out in the planetarium field who might not know how to create a story from scratch. In this talk, I will review the evidence for why stories are so effective, and how the And-But-Therefore (ABT) framework can be used to effectively build most types of stories. I will show how entire fulldome movies follow the ABT paradigm, while it can also be used to create the compelling content that make up planetarium presentations. I will include example story outlines and a general guide on converting any science account into the ABT form.

Image © Arena Berlin